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Candidates for Leadership of Ontario Progressive Conservative Party on Same-Sex "Marriage"

John Tory strongly in favour; Jim Flaherty strongly opposed; Frank Klees opposed -- suggests civil unions

TORONTO, August 31, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Ontario Progressive Conservative party leadership hopefuls, in a leadership debate Monday, discussed their positions on same-sex "marriage." Both Jim Flaherty and Frank Klees believe that same-sex "marriage" should not have been sanctioned by the province, while John Tory said that he supports the move.

"My policy is that I'm in favour of the traditional definition of marriage -- one man and one woman," Flaherty said in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen Friday. "I think it supports the family which is the foundation of our society. I'm not opposed to the use of the notwithstanding clause in limited circumstances."

"My position was, when we were sitting in the legislature, that we as a province should not have registered those marriages as marriages," Frank Klees said at the debate, as reported by the Citizen. "We should have registered those as civil unions, or registered them under some other category other than marriage." Klees said he would consider invoking the notwithstanding clause, to redefine marriage as between a man and a woman in Ontario.

"I am not against gay marriage," Klees said. "I just feel strongly that there are millions of people in this province and this country who would see the redefinition of marriage as an encroachment on their personal rights, their religious rights."

The London leadership debate was the final one before the September 18 vote.
See Jim Flaherty's web-site: http://www.jimflaherty.ca/
See Frank Klees' web-site: http://www.frankklees.com/

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