MONTREAL, August 19, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Justice Minister Martin Cauchon told a meeting of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) on Monday that “equality” under the Charter demands full marriage rights for homosexuals, not some “lesser” status such as civil unions. “Clearly we must do better than almost equal,” Cauchon said. “Gays and lesbians in Canada have long-term relationships. They belong to our families and in some cases raise children. They contribute to our communities and pay taxes. This government believes they should also have access to marriage. Anything less is discrimination.” There was little dissent from the assembled lawyers. Simon Potter, president of the CBA, claimed Cauchon has shown courage. “It’s a debate we simply must have. ... Can it be sustained in Canada that, in a country ruled by a Charter such as ours, we limit marriage only to some people and not to others?” It was a perfect example, as Profs. Rainer Knopff and F.L. Morton argue in their book The Charter Revolution (1999) of how the courts have reduced the effective meaning of the Trudeau-imposed Charter to a single procrustean value: “state-enforced group equality”. For newswire coverage: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2003/08/18/163368-cp.html For The Court Party: http://www.broadviewpress.com/bvbooks.asp?BookID=148