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Commentary

A shameful sham

Mon, June 26, 2006   |   Author: Ron Gray   |   Volume 13    Issue 26 | Share: Gab | Facebook | Twitter   

There is an appalling cynicism about Prime Minister Harper’s announcement that MPs will be asked this fall to decide whether they want to re-open debate on the definition of marriage.

The utter lack of leadership-the failure to support and argue for the traditional definition of marriage-shows that on this issue, as on the question of abortion, the Conservatives’ policy wonks are willing to sacrifice moral principles for power.

It reminds me of the firemen in ancient Rome, who used to negotiate with the owner of a house while it burned: “What are you willing to give me to do what’s right?”

The simple declaration of a free vote, with no visible leadership to guide the decision, is coupled with the Prime Minister’s election pledge that he won’t use Section 33 of the Charter (the ‘notwithstanding’ clause) to defend the traditional definition of marriage.

Nor is he likely to make it a key election issue, so the people can make their will known.

If a Bill to protect the traditional definition of marriage is brought into Parliament, it’s unlikely to get the support of the Liberals (with a few exceptions), the NDP (which punished Bev Dejarlais, its only MP to vote against so-called same-sex ‘marriage’ in the last Parliament) or the Bloc; and, indeed, three Conservative MPs voted against traditional marriage last time. That’s an ironic change from 1999, when a huge majority of the House, including most Liberals, voted for a strongly-worded commitment to defend marriage.

So much for commitment to principles!

Even if the House of Commons voted to defend marriage, the Liberal-dominated Senate would probably defeat it: the “chamber of sober second thought” has twice passed its own immoral Bills to legalize the impossible.

But if such legislation should somehow clear both houses of Parliament, the new law would inevitably be brought before the pro-‘gay’ courts-and the Prime Minister has promised not to use Section 33 to defend marriage.

The whole handling of the definition of marriage-one of the key moral issues of the day (the other is abortion, on which the PM has promised to use his influence to prevent any legislation from entering the House) is a sham. And it is Canada’s shame.



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