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Harper Has Left Himself Little Room to Defend Traditional Marriage - Vows no Notwithstanding Clause

By John-Henry Westen

OTTAWA, December 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Restoring marriage to its proper definition seems off the map in this political cycle.  Conservative Leader Stephen Harper greatly disappointed defenders of traditional marriage during the leadership debate last night by vowing "never" to use the notwithstanding clause to defend the traditional definition of marriage.

During the first of the Leaders debates, a French-language debate, the leaders of the four parties represented in Parliament responded to a question on homosexual 'marriage'.  While the Bloc, NDP and Liberal Leaders tripped over themselves trying to outdo one another in support of homosexual 'marriage', Harper said, "the Conservative party has made a commitment. Voters can now vote and a Conservative government would put forward a motion so that Parliament could freely vote on the issue of marriage. Even if members decided to change the definition and bring it back to the traditional definition, we have to respect same-sex marriages that already exist."

In response to the charge that he would have to use the charter's notwithstanding clause to defend marriage Harper said, "I will never use the notwithstanding clause on that issue."

Critics have pointed out that the Conservative Leader has moved the marriage issue to a low priority, since the comment does not rule out use of the notwithstanding clause, but only its use to defend marriage.

Jim Hughes, President of Campaign Life Coalition commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the debate saying, "what an appalling situation. Harper) has said he won't use the very vehicle that was placed in the constitution to deal with situations like this."

Admittedly, undoing the damage to Canada caused by the Liberal Government's imposition of  homosexual 'marriage' is a long shot.  Harper has said he would put forward a motion in the Commons on the matter and if it passed would bring forward legislation to enshrine in law the traditional definition of marriage.  However, even if such legislation passed in the Commons, it would likely never make it through the heavily left leaning Senate. 

Should the legislation somehow be passed into law the Supreme Court would almost surely strike it down as unconstitutional, and now Mr. Harper has ruled out using the method of last resort, the notwithstanding clause, to force the courts to back-off. 

In related news, Harper also dismayed conservatives in recent days by writing a letter to the conservative Washington DC paper the Washington Times in which he distanced himself from American conservatives.  "And while I have promised a free vote in Canada's Parliament to reconsider the recent change of law to allow same-sex marriages in Canada, and will vote myself for a return to the traditional definition of marriage, I have said any changes must protect the existing status of same-sex couples who have been legally married," said Harper.  He made of point of also adding, "As well, a new Conservative government will not initiate or support any effort to pass legislation restricting abortion in Canada." What he expected to gain from this peculiar initiative is unclear.

Despite the lacklustre appearance of Harper and thus the Conservative Party for social conservatives, the Party remains superior to the other mainstream parties in that they have vowed to allow free votes on moral issues and differ significantly on allowing choice in child-care. 

However, it remains to be seen if those differences will move social conservatives whose main concerns are life and family to get out to vote.  For most they will be voting based on the views of their local candidate on those issues.  For some however, the mainstream parties' outright animosity toward them and the Conservatives' treatment of them as second-class citizens will drive them to register a protest vote for the Christians Heritage Party.

Indeed, in a press release responding to the Conservative debate, Christian Heritage Party Leader Ron Gray dubbed the Conservatives "Liberal Lite" saying they have "now deserted all three of the most important issues in this campaign."

Those three issues, he said, are:
o the sanctity of innocent human life;
o the sanctity of marriage;
o the urgent need to defend the Canadian Constitution from judicial usurpation of Parliament's exclusive authority to write laws.

The CHP stands for the protection of life, marriage, and the Constitution, he added.

See the English translation transcript of the debate:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051213/elxn_TEMPLATE_backu...=

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