OTTAWA, April 13, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Conservative amendment to the Liberal bill to redefine the traditional marriage which would have stopped bill C-38 in its tracks was defeated in the House of Commons yesterday by a vote of 132-164. Fully 34 Liberal MPs voted with the Opposition Conservatives against the Liberal government bill, along with 95 of the 99 Conservative MPs and three Bloc MPs.
The vote is probably a good predictor of the second reading vote expected next week. However, the second reading vote may be delayed by a Conservative filibuster since the Liberals are refusing cross-country hearings on the bill.
While pro-family leaders were pleased with Harper’s effort to scuttle bill C-38 and to include the normal definition of marriage in legislation, those same leaders were disappointed that the wording in Harper’s amendment muddied the waters by including the divisive issue of civil unions rather than a straightforward defence of traditional marriage.
The amendment read: “This house declines to give second reading to Bill C-38 . . . since the principle of the bill fails to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others and fails to recognize and extend to other civil unions established under the laws of the provinces the same rights and benefits and obligations as married persons.”
Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition commented on the amendment saying, “The first part of the amendment is just what was necessary, what was expected, what was needed – a rejection of the bill since it did not define marriage properly. However, Harper needlessly went on to totally offend a large portion of the country and alienate many of his supporters with an add-on devaluing marriage by opening to any civil unions all the benefits and rights of married couples.”
LifeSiteNews.com was informed that certain non-Conservative MPs declined to vote for the amendment because of its support for civil unions and others because it was partisan proposal. Those MPs will add to the number voting against the bill at second and third reading.
John Pacheco, the principal organizer of the March for Marriage which drew 15-20,000 people to Parliament Hill Saturday, was on CRFA radio in Ottawa this morning responding to the House vote on the amendment. Pacheco also saw the civil unions promotion as creating divisions. “A number of MPs oppose civil unions, most people on the hill also oppose civil unions,” said Pacheco.“The debate over the whole bill is not about just the word ‘marriage’ but about the whole institution itself.”