Same-Sex Marriage Tag

15 Jun 2011 French National Assembly rejects homosexual ‘marriage’ in historic vote

PARIS, June 14, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - French legislators rejected a bill to legalize “homosexual marriage” today in a decisive vote by the National Assembly, the nation’s lower legislative house. Assembly representatives voted against the bill, proposed by socialists, by a majority of 293 to 222.  The vote follows a ruling in January by the nation’s highest court, the Constitutional Council, stating that homosexual “marriage” is not a constitutional right. Although a recent and much-cited poll found that a majority of French voters, 58...

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19 Jan 2011 MP David Anderson Speaks Up Boldly for Religious Freedom

For Immediate Release - January 18, 2011: Ottawa, ON - David Anderson, MP (Cypress Hills-Grasslands) today opposed the Saskatchewan Government’s announcement that it will accept the Court of Appeal’s ruling requiring marriage commissioners to perform civil marriage ceremonies for all couples, including same-sex couples. “The court’s conclusion that forcing Commissioners to perform marriages was appropriate because it did not threaten their private religious beliefs or their right to worship, guarantees that religious/faith rights will be treated as a second tier human right in the future. This decision will ensure the ongoing denigration of a right that has played a major role in creating the country we have today,” Anderson said.
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11 Jan 2011 MP Maurice Vellacott’s Letter to SK Justice Minister

  In light of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal's ruling that laws which would allow provincial officials to refuse to perform marriages against their religious beliefs would be unconstitutional, Member of Parliament Maurice Vellacott (from Saskatoon) wrote the following letter to the provinces Minister of Justice, urging him to consider Ontario's example. What follows is the letter:
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10 Jan 2011 Court: Civil Marriage Commissioners Must Marry Homosexuals

ARPA Note: Read EFC's quality commentary on this decision here, which notes that the court "stated that government practices and policies could be put in place that would ensure that both the constitutional rights of marriage commissioners and the legal rights of couples to access marriage services would be respected." Toronto Sun, Jan 10, 2011: A Saskatchewan court has determined that, regardless of personal religious beliefs, civil commissioners in the province must marry gay couples when asked to do so. Following proposed legislation that would...

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25 Jun 2010 EU Court: Homosexual Marriage is Not a Right

Globe & Mail, June 25, 2010: The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that countries are not obliged to allow gay marriage, rejecting a bid by an Austrian couple to force the state to let them wed. The court said the rights of Horst Michael Schalk and Johann Franz Kopf had not been violated by their inability to get married. [Keep reading here.]...

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02 Mar 2010 Jason Kenney Backs Down

Update: Former social-conservative MP Jason Kenney now claims that the removal of "gay rights" from the guide was a mistake and should be fixed. Consider sending a note of support to Mr. Kenney - [email protected] (CC Stephen Harper [email protected]). Immigration Minister pulled gay rights from citizenship guide, documents show, Globe and Mail, March 2, 2010: Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney blocked any reference to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, The Canadian Press has learned. [Keep reading this article here.]...

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02 Feb 2010 The EFC Receives Intervenor Status in Marriage Commissioner Reference

February 1, 2010, OTTAWA – The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) has received intervenor status in the Saskatchewan marriage commissioner reference. In July, the Justice Minister of Saskatchewan asked the Court of Appeal for an opinion on potential legislation which would permit marriage commissioners to decline performing same-sex marriages if contrary to their religious beliefs.
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10 Aug 2009 Tims kills sponsorship of event linked to anti-gay marriage lobby

Globe and Mail, August 10, 2009: When a group of married couples renew their wedding vows this Sunday as part of an anti-gay marriage event in Rhode Island, they'll enjoy a barbecue dinner and ice cream social, but they won't be eating timbits. Tim Hortons announced Monday it would withdraw its sponsorship of the coming Marriage Day Celebration, which is to be held in the shadow of a stately mansion in Warwick, R.I. The event is organized by the National Organization for Marriage, a group that lobbies against the legalization of...

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24 Jul 2009 Canada Court Rules Marriage Commissioners Must “Marry” Homosexuals

REGINA, SK, July 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The appeal of a Saskatchewan marriage commissioner against a human rights tribunal decision was denied by the Court of Queen's Bench last Friday.  Orville Nichols, 71, was fined by the tribunal last year for refusing to "marry" two men based on his Christian religious beliefs.Nichols, who served as a marriage commissioner from 1983 after retiring from a 25-year career in the police force, was approached by the complainant, only identified as M.J., in April 2005 to conduct the ceremony.  Nichols informed M.J. that he was available, but when he realized that M.J.'s partner, B.R., was a man, he told them that he could not "marry" them based on his religious beliefs.
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03 Jul 2009 Saskatchewan government to ask courts for ruling on same-sex marriage

Globe and Mail  (July 3, 2009): Saskatchewan's justice minister says the government will ask the Court of Appeal for its opinion on proposed legislation dealing with same-sex marriage. Don Morgan says the legislation would allow marriage commissioners with contrary religious beliefs to opt out of performing same-sex ceremonies. [Continue reading this article here.] ...

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