OTTAWA, July 17, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Canadian Alliance Chief Justice Critic and Provencher MP, Vic Toews, is calling on the federal government to appeal the recent Ontario Court decision that ruled Canada’s definition of marriage violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it does not recognize homosexual marriages. “While the Supreme Court of Canada has in the past extended economic benefits to same sex couples, these decisions have purposely excluded extending rights related to marriage and family structure to individuals in gay and lesbian relationships,” said Toews. Canadian law defines marriage as the “lawful and voluntary union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others”. The Ontario Superior Court ruled the definition violated the equality provisions of the Charter and gave Parliament two years to change the marriage definition. “This is an example of an activist court which is not only dictating to elected representatives what our laws should be but is also ruling on an issue that the Supreme Court of Canada has purposely excluded in the past,” said Toews. “It is a ruling that potentially has far reaching consequences for our faith based institutions and our religious leaders and needs to be immediately appealed.”
See related LifeSite coverage: ONTARIO COURT ORDERS RECOGNITION OF HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/jul/02071201.html