OTTAWA, Feb 15 (Lifesitenews.com) – The Ottawa Citizen reported today that same-sex pension benefits may be included in the federal budget being presented this week. The federal government did not appeal the Rosenberg ruling which charged that it was discriminatory against homosexuals not to allow same-sex couples to collect pension benefits, so it is under pressure to amend pension legislation accordingly.
Introducing such reforms in the budget, however, is seen by many pro-family forces as an underhanded way of pushing them through since it raises the stakes significantly for Liberal backbenchers who oppose such changes. If the government loses the vote in the House of Commons on a money bill such as the budget, the vote is treated as a non-confidence vote against the government and automatically leads to the dissolution of Parliament and a new election. As a result, pro-family Liberals have much more to lose if they vote against their government in such a situation.