Up here in Canada, the march of progress towards full-status for same-sex marriages continues on unabated, despite the efforts of the Conservative party and Steven Harper. In following the news today, there have been three significant developments (all good, in my opinion) that y'all might be in interested in, if you're looking for some good news after yesterday
(More below the fold)
Most importantly, while on a visit to China, PM Paul Martin
staked his office on the passage of same-sex marriage laws. From today's press conference:
It's not my intention to go into an election. We want to govern...Am I ready to go into an election to uphold the charter of rights against those who would attack it? The answer is certainly yes.
There it is - the Liberal frame of same-sex marriage being a matter of civil rights, and not morals. Clearly taking a cue from his Republican brethren south of the border, the Conservatives are trying to frame this as a "values" issue, getting various religious clergy to come out against the issue, going as far as saying that it will lead to the legalization of polygamy. This is the battle of Frameshop, being fought right now up here.
In some ways I'd welcome an election on the issue, as it would be a battle reminiscent of the last Quebec sovereignty referendum. Despite it being held solely in Quebec, that referendum was fought in every city and town across the country. The smallest towns in the middle of nowhere would be having pro-Canada demonstrations, and in every college newspaper you could find a few "Vive le Quebec Libre!" pieces, written by the separatists around. It culminated with the 100 000-strong Canada Rally in Montreal, and a very narrow victory for the federalists. Should an election be called over same-sex marriage, I'd like to think that enough people would come to their senses and vote for it.
In a further move towards realization, the military has announced that they will allow same-sex marriages to be conducted on-base. From the chaplain who drafted the policy
Members of the Canadian forces are also Canadian citizens, and we must also follow the laws of the land, and the laws of the province in which we reside...Certainly we have our own military regulations but all of them work together in concert and we have a very socially accepting armed forces."
As I'm sue you can see, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" doesn't really exist up here. And related to that one, our last hit offers a glimpse of things to come. From the same story
[C]haplains will not have to perform the service if it conflicts with their religious beliefs. They would, however, have to find a colleague to conduct the ceremony.
This is, I suspect, what the Federal policy will become. One of Martin's planks was that civil servants (or Clergy) who didn't like gay marriage wouldn't be forced into performing it, while at the same time access would be guaranteed. Which I guess is a decent deal for all involved. I like that it places the burden of locating an appropriate official on the official that refuses to do it himself, as opposed to on the couple.
Anyways, progress marches on, and society has yet to fall apart - although I nearly did today, as it was so bloody cold out on the walk home.