Sunday, April 10, 2005
Harper proves again he is unfit to rule
I am allergic to social conservatism.
Jax
Stephen Harper used a rally against same-sex marriage Saturday to take some pointed jabs at the scandal-plagued Liberal government.
But in a speech to thousands of demonstrators, he denounced the federal plan to enshrine same-sex marriage with a thinly veiled reference to allegations of Liberal nest-feathering in the sponsorship debacle.
"Corruption is not a Canadian value. Marriage is a real Canadian value," Mr. Harper said to enthusiastic applause.
Talk about a cheap attempt to link to unrelated issues.
Protesters, including many from Montreal and Toronto, filled a large swath of the Parliament Hill lawn to oppose Bill C-38, federal legislation that would officially extend civil marriage to same-sex couples.
The government drafted the bill after courts in several provinces ruled that excluding gay couples from marriage violated equality guarantees in the Charter of Rights.
Some demonstrators carried placards bearing the image of the late Pope John Paul, while others toted signs with slogans including Defend Marriage and God Defined Marriage, The Government Defies God.
On Sunday, clergy and religious officials from a range of faith groups planned rallies in several cities to express support for civil same-sex marriage.
Mr. Harper told the crowd Saturday that 95 of 99 Conservative MPs back the traditional concept of marriage.
Hmmm, Belinda Stronach and Peter McKay perhaps... the two that are going to replace you if you muck up.
He promised a Tory government would bring in legislation defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
"Liberals may talk about minorities," Mr. Harper said. "But undermining the traditional definition of marriage is an assault on the beliefs of all cultural and religious communities who have come to this country."
Lying Git!!!!! There are many people who have come here expressly to participate in the freedom to chose one's life partner.
MPs are slated to vote Tuesday on a motion by Mr. Harper that Parliament refuse to give second reading to the bill.
"And if just a few more Liberals are persuaded to vote their conscience instead of their party line, we can kill Bill C-38 dead in its tracks," Mr. Harper said Saturday.
And that will do nothing, because same-sex marriage is already here without bill C-38.
On Monday, two constitutional law experts will hold a news conference to argue the Conservative leader's motion is based on the false assertion that Parliament can take away civil marriage from same-sex couples without using the Constitution's notwithstanding clause.
The University of Ottawa's Martha Jackman and Hugo Cyr of the University of Quebec at Montreal contend Harper's position is "deceitful and disingenuous."
I that makes me smile. (Link)
