Quebec High Court Redefines Marriage – Family Defenders forced to Pay Costs

QUEBEC CITY, March 19, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Quebec Court of Appeal, the province’s highest court, has upheld the ruling of a lower court which ruled that the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  The federal government initially appealed the lower court ruling but dropped out of the Hendricks and LeBoeuf v. Canada case after the high court in Ontario ruled in favour of redefining marriage.  However, the Catholic Civil Rights League and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada continued with the defence of marriage.  Demonstrating its extreme activist bent, the 5-member court not only dismissed the appeal, but forced the defenders of traditional marriage to pay the court costs of the homosexual activists.  Moreover, the lower court’s decision to redefine marriage included a two year period of suspension to allow for the deliberations of Parliament. That suspension was also set aside by today’s ruling, permitting homosexual activists Rene Leboeuf and Michael Hendricks to ‘marry’ immediately.  The ruling makes Quebec the third Canadian province after Ontario and B.C. to rule the traditional definition of marriage unconstitutional and permit immediate homosexual ‘marriages’.  Both the Catholic Civil Rights League and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada expressed deep disappointment with the ruling.  Their arguments in favour of traditional marriage were not heard but will be heard at the Supreme Court of Canada which is scheduled to hear the federal government’s marriage reference on October 6-8.  See the CTV coverage of the ruling:  https://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1079712937513_1/?hub=TopStories