WINNIPEG, April 22, 2003 – Clarification Statement
On behalf of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, I wish to clarify concerns raised about its statement on same-sex “unions.”
As stated in the League’s submission to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights about Marriage and Legal Recognition of Same-sex Unions, The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, “stands firm in its commitment to the bond of matrimony between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.”
While some provincial governments have created laws which support “civil unions” of homosexual couples, the League continues to insist that marriage itself should be defined in federal statutes as being between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others.
The League’s request follows closely the statement of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Organization for Life and Family in its presentation to the Committee on February 13, 2003: “We know that there are other relationships between adults that involve commitment, caring and emotion and financial interdependence For the last 15 years, the federal and provincial governments have found ways to address their needs and requests for social benefits and three provinces have already enacted legislation allowing for domestic partnerships or civil unions.… Should you also see fit to address the concerns of (these) adult interdependent relationships, we ask you to do so in a way that respects their human dignity but does not radically redefine or thus void the vital and irreplaceable social institution of marriage.”
At present, Canadian statutes lack a definition of the term “marriage.” The position of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada remains unequivocally clear. We, as your national executive presented this position to the Justice Committee on April 2, 2003. We ask you, our members, to join with us in urging our government to DEFINE marriage as being between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others. Please write to the Minister of Justice, to all MP’s, especially to your own MP, and to the Senators, indicating your support for marriage as a bond between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.
Marie Cameron
National President