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Official Liberal Party Position on Gay 'Marriage' - "the very soul of what it means to be Canadian"

"The Liberal Party of Canada now has a tradition of using the charter to support whatever policy you dream up"

By John-Henry Westen

OTTAWA, December 6, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The President of the Liberal Party of Canada has made it abundantly clear that his Party backs homosexual 'marriage' without reserve.  In a letter signed November 30 and addressed to Bill Gairdner, Chairman of Enshrine Marriage Canada, Liberal Party President Mike Eizenga wrote proudly of his party's passage of legislation destroying the traditional definition of marriage.

"As you are aware, on July 20, 2005, the Liberal government passed Bill C-38, the Civil Marriage Act," wrote Eizenga. "By extending the right of civil marriage to same-sex couples our government affirmed Canada's commitment to protecting minority rights and guaranteeing equality for all."

Eizenga said the party's stance and actions were based on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which he said is "a fundamental aspect of our national character."   "The Civil Marriage Act," he wrote, "is anchored in two fundamental Charter rights:  the right to equality without discrimination; and the right to freedom of religion."

Bill Gairdner of Enshrine Marriage Canada told LifeSiteNews.com the response was expected, "The Liberal Party of Canada now has a tradition of using the charter to support whatever policy you dream up."

Gaidner noted that the original framers of the Charter specifically rejected homosexual rights and that the Supreme Court of Canada had "read-in" special rights for homosexuals into the equality provisions of the Charter.  "If you don't try to hold the original intent why have a charter anyways," commented Gairdner.  "Just throw it away and let the courts do what they want, that's what they are doing anyway."

The Liberal Party President presented homosexual 'marriage' as "protecting the rights of our minorities."   He said, "We believe that defending the rights of all people - not just those of the majority - is at the very soul of what it means to be a Canadian."

However, as the Family Research Council (FRC) has pointed out, "The fundamental 'right to marry' is a right that rests with individuals, not with couples. Homosexual individuals already have exactly the same 'right' to marry as anyone else. Marriage license applications, prior to the changing of Canada's laws, did not inquire as to a person's 'sexual orientation.'"

FRC points out that "Many people who now identify themselves as homosexual have previously been in legal (opposite-sex) marriages. On the other hand, many people who previously had homosexual relationships have now renounced that behavior and married persons of the opposite sex."

FRC adds, "However, while every individual person is free to get married, no person, whether heterosexual or homosexual, has ever had a legal right to marry simply any willing partner. Every person, whether heterosexual or homosexual, is subject to legal restrictions as to whom they may marry. To be specific, every person, regardless of sexual preference, is legally barred from marrying a child, a close blood relative, a person who is already married, or a person of the same sex. There is no discrimination here, nor does such a policy deny anyone the 'equal protection of the laws', since these restrictions apply equally to every individual."

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