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Friday November 12, 2004
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MP Toews says Forcing Manitoba Marriage Commissioners to Perform Gay "Marriages" is a Violation of Human Rights
WINNIPEG, November 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Federal Conservative MP Vic Toews charged Thursday that the Manitoba government's policy of forcing its marriage commissioners to perform same-sex "weddings" or resign is discriminatory and in violation of the province's human rights code.
"Why should these individuals be discriminated against?" he said, as reported by the Winnipeg Sun. He said that commissioners who refuse to perform the ceremonies for religious reasons should be given that freedom. "As a matter of law they're entitled to carry out their functions without this kind of threat." Toews is justice critic for the federal Conservative Party of Canada.
Toews compared firing marriage commissioners for refusing to do something contrary to their religious beliefs with forcing orthodox Jews to work on Saturday.
Since Court of Queen's Bench Justice Douglas Yard overturned the province's marriage laws in September, 11 commissioners have resigned. Toews has asked Manitoba Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh to change the policy. If there is no action from Mackintosh, Toews plans to take the issue to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission.
A former marriage commissioner, Les Magnusson, who resigned after justice Yard's ruling, said commissioners should be given the choice to perform or refuse the services. "If they want to have a union between gay people that's fine, but it's not a marriage as far as I'm concerned," he said.
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