(Aren't you familiar with Of Montreal?)
So how is same-sex marriage doing up in Canada these days, hmm?
Larry Zolf describes the politicking involved.
The Vatican refuses to accept the separation of church and state, and won't accept any civil union as a compromise, either. The many Catholic MPs in the Liberal caucus have been gun-shy on the issue. They like the fact that it will be the Charter that will give gays their legal marriage, and it will be the Charter that these MPs can cling to for fairness and steadfastness in murky political waters.Martin's adroitness in handling the gay marriage issue, and his recognition of the Chrétien formula of avoiding trouble have worked. The majority of ethnic and Catholic MPs in the Liberal caucus reflecting their constituents were in open rebellion on gay rights. Getting the Supreme Court and the Charter to push same-sex marriage through is a gift horse those MPs refuse to look in the mouth.
It was the Liberals who took a bit of a beating on gay rights in election 2004. Dennis Mills lost his seat to a massive gay vote for NDP Leader Jack Layton. In other ridings gays and Liberals coalesced for victory. Mills was targeted by gays because he wore his Catholicism on his sleeve and gays took umbrage at his defiance. He became the only Toronto Catholic Liberal MP to go down in defeat.
Will someone please please please get Jack 'Nance' Layton to say 'There was a fish in the percolator' on TV? 'She's dead...Wrapped in plastic' would also be acceptable, although a bit dark.
Layton swept the gay vote, taking it away from the Liberals where it had rested since the days of Pierre Trudeau and his "the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation." Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe and his Quebec Catholic MPs do not share the angst of their brethren in the Martin caucus. The Bloc as usual departs from the Canadian and Liberal norm in its wholesale endorsement of same-sex marriage.
Another victory for the Gay Conspiracy! Our pink helicopters will begin deploying storm troopers momentarily.
Posted by aloysius at September 14, 2004 01:21 PM | TrackBack |