Canada's pro-gay
government survives crucial vote

Canada's Liberal government survived another round of confidence votes on Tuesday, bolstering the party's chances of staying in power long enough to pass the country's same-sex marriage legislation. Parliament passed a key budget bill Tuesday night by a vote of 249-53. Several more budget-related votes passed by similar margins. With that, Canada's minority Liberal Party can expect to hold on to power at least until the fall, which could give it enough time to pass the same-sex marriage bill that's currently before a committee. The victory for the Liberals comes despite the protests of antigay MP Pat O'Brian, who quit the party last week and then voted to oust the government in an effort to kill the legislation. But that said, the Liberal victory also appears to have come at the expense of the bill's speedy passage. Laurie Aaron of Canadians for Equal Marriage says the government made a deal with the opposition Conservatives to pass the budget bill in exchange for delaying the same-sex marriage vote until the fall. And by then, an election could be just around the corner. Gilles Marchildon of the gay lobby group EGALE says it's impossible to speculate what will become of the bill now but that the organization remains committed to working for its passage. (Heather Kitchin/Sirius OutQ News)