Talk Elections

Here's a model for gay rights activists here in the United States to follow......

Canada 4th nation to legalize gay marriage

By ROB GILLIES
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

TORONTO -- Canada legalized gay marriage Wednesday, becoming the world's fourth nation to grant full legal rights to same-sex couples.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin signed the legislation making it law, hours after it was approved by the Senate late Tuesday night despite strong opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders.

The bill gives homosexual couples the same rights as those in traditional unions between a man and a woman, something already legal in eight of Canada's 10 provinces and in two of its three territories.

The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority Liberal Party government easily passed the Senate, which essentially rubber stamps any bill already passed by the House of Commons, which passed it late last month.

The Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are the only other nations that allow gay marriage nationwide.

The law comes after years of court battles and debate that divided families, religious groups and even political allies. The Roman Catholic Church, the predominant Christian denomination in Canada, has vigorously opposed the legislation.

source (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apcanada_story.asp?category=1101&slug=Canada%20Gay%20Marriage&dpfrom=th)

Oh yeah, the GG just had surgery, so our acting head of state is the Chief Justice.

Good news indeed though :)

Except that our Congress thankfully is not screwed that far to the left to support gay marriage and gay adoption.

Good for Canada!  A humane and tolerant nation on the North American continent - who'd have thought it possible?

Ah, I see. I was wondering about that as I read the article. (But, to be irritatingly pedantic, Her Majesty The Queen is your head of state, not Clarkson.)

True. Either way we have a bunch of women as our heads of state :D

If I may interject:    ::)

That is all.

That's technically true, but given that Clarkson represents Queen Elizabeth and given that she acts essentially independently, Clarkson is essentially our acting head of state, even if the Queen is our head of state in name.

That's a shame.

Is Canada accepting US immigrants?  ;)

Yes, but you have to get in line. But, you can still get married here without citizenship or residency.

Oh No! another nation has fallen! begun, the Fag War has!

I asked my mom in British Columbia if Canada was being destroyed by holy fire and brimstone from God's anger at our legalization of homosexual marriage, but miraculously, she said that it was actually a warm and pleasant summer day and that the only things resembling fire and brimstone was the odd barbeque found in a backyard.  I guess maybe God was too busy or something.

No, just waiting, TO SMITE UN BELEEVERS AND FAGG LUVERS !!!!1!!!!1111

Also, I think Canada should beef up ITS borders... Millions of gay americans will try cross illegally to just wed. :P

OMG!! ABORT A GUY FEETUS FOR JESUS!!!!111111

Americans dont cross borders illegaly. Only Mexicans do :D

Of course he is, I mean he hasnt even gotten to Orlando yet.
;)

Then, explain the invasion of Irak, oh smart-assed one! if there's a country that crosses most borders (especially of enemy countries) illegally, they are the Amerikans... Also, American criminals flee to Mexico or Canada... what makes you think Fags won't do the same?

Because getting married there really won't have any real effect unless they are marrying a Canadian or live in the one state that has gay marriage already legal because once they come back their marriage won't be recognized.

Maybe the fact that, uh, they're not criminals?

Jokes aside, depends where. Also, they overstay: there are, probably, at least 100,000 Americans/Canadians illegally in Mexico (visa overstays and violations, such as illegal employment, etc.). It would be hard for an American to do an illegal crossing into Canada, though - how would one do it illegally?

Canadians right now have a few illegal immigrants that need to be sent back and court martialed.

Well, they build tunnels. I heard on the news today about authorities discovering a tunnel from Canada to the US out in BC. It was used of course to smuggle drugs. It was more complex than anything found on the US-Mexican border, thereby proving that Canada is superior. :D

I'll own your navy any time (refer to my sig) :P

Your sig is wrong. That is not even Canada in the background.

I did not mean the background... i meant the huge sailboat against your raft!

Posted from the other topic: you do recognize that Canada spends 50% more on our military than Mexico, don't you? :P

That raft is a joke. It does not actually represent our navy strength.

whilst Australia is a long way off something like this, my state (Victoria) is expected to pass legislation soon that will make gay adoption legal and make IVF sperm donors unable to claim parentage of children conceived with their sperm, as they currently can do with single women and lesbian couples.

The latter law is just common sense; and the former is interesting. I think that being adopted by a gay couple is better then not being adopted at all, or just by one person, although to be frank it probably isn't as good for the child as heterosexual adoption-but honestly, we don't know. I don't think it is negative, though.

It's not even legal to adopt if you are gay? That's major discrimination! Silly Aussies.

same w/ the Mexican sailboat

An individual homosexual can adopt, but not a couple as a couple in which both would become officially parents.

Basically, it's a reserved power of the states. In WA, TAS and the ACT it's legal for couples to adopt and both take parentage; in QLD, NSW, SA and the NT it isn't; and Victoria is progressing towards it.

That's a terrible human rights violation

You could argue that there is a human rights violation, but a terrible one? No. Putting someone in a death camp is a terrible violation, this is just minor. Though I wonder to myself whether or not adoption is a human right or not.

If it is, then having free donuts is one to.

Ok, bad choice of wording on my part. What I meant to say was a "gross inequality".

Check out New Zealand then

The following are all women

Queen - Head of State (obviously)
Governor General (de-facto head of state)
Prime Minister
Speaker of the House
Cheif Justice
Attorney General
Minister for Health
Minister for Women and Disabilities
Minister for Auckland
Immediate Past Prime Minister

and australia...no G-Gs; no PMs; no top-level senior ministers, two state premiers, and that's about it.

Australia is terrible. There are not even any women in the court! There was a time a couple of years ago where there were more women lt. governors in Canada then men, but they are appointed. As it stands now, there are no women premiers, so Oz has us beat there. I blame people like Gabu for that one ;) (he voted Liberal in BC against the NDP who had a female leader). Our Deputy PM is also a woman.

the President of the Senate was a woman before...

and the deputy leader of the ALP is a woman. If the ALP ever won an election *laughs quietly* she'd be deputy PM.

Deputy leader of the Opposition? *laughs* Oh no! Australian politics is crawling whith high level women! RUN!

don't worry; she's ugly.

Oh no! I thought I had a chance! damn ::)