Poll of Canadian
lawmakers: Same-sex marriage will stay

A survey of Canadian lawmakers by TheGlobe and Mail newspaper suggests that same-sex marriage will survive in Canada despite the new Conservative government's promised vote to repeal it. TheGlobe and Mail found that 153 of Canada's 308 members of parliament either voted in favor of same-sex marriage last year or have promised to do so if the issue comes up again. Meanwhile, 136 oppose equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, and 19 are either undecided, won't state their opinion, or plan to poll their constituents before voting. That means virtually all the undecideds would have to vote against same-sex marriage for a repeal to succeed. The newspaper survey follows the January 23 election of a minority Conservative government led by Stephen Harper. Conservatives have been vigorous opponents of same-sex marriage, and Harper promised during the recent election campaign that if elected, he would introduce a motion in the House of Commons to reopen the issue. Harper's plan has been roundly criticized by constitutional law experts who say that a new ban on same-sex marriage would create legal chaos because the law would conflict with regional court decisions affirming equal marriage rights. Some news reports have suggested that Harper himself secretly hopes to lose the vote. He has been working hard recently to distance himself from the party's socially conservative base in hopes of earning enough mainstream support to win a majority government in the next election. (Heather Kitching, Sirius OutQ News)