ChuckD
The Gay Lord of Freestyle
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OTTAWA (AFP) - Gay marriage became officially legal in Canada when Governor General Adrienne Clarkson signed the legislation.
The approval by British Queen Elizabeth II's representative was the last step, coming a day after the Canadian Senate approved the legislation.
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority Liberal government passed the contentious bill in June, making this country only the fourth nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriages after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
Members of the House of Commons voted 158 to 133 in favour of the legislation in an overtime session of Parliament one year after Martin won his first mandate to lead Canada in the last general election.
After the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in December that proposed changes to the marriage laws from "a man and a woman" to "two people" would not contravene the constitution, nor force clergy to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies against their beliefs, Martin pressed forward against stiff opposition led by the Catholic Church, saying he could no longer support a law that created "two classes of citizens."
However, nine of the 13 provinces and territories had already recognized gay nuptials by then, following a series of lower court challenges on the basis that denying gay couples the right to marry was discriminatory.
Canada's move is expected to swell the large numbers of lesbian and gay couples who head north to get married, as same-sex unions are already permitted by most Canadian provinces and outlawed in most US states.
The approval by British Queen Elizabeth II's representative was the last step, coming a day after the Canadian Senate approved the legislation.
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority Liberal government passed the contentious bill in June, making this country only the fourth nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriages after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
Members of the House of Commons voted 158 to 133 in favour of the legislation in an overtime session of Parliament one year after Martin won his first mandate to lead Canada in the last general election.
After the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in December that proposed changes to the marriage laws from "a man and a woman" to "two people" would not contravene the constitution, nor force clergy to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies against their beliefs, Martin pressed forward against stiff opposition led by the Catholic Church, saying he could no longer support a law that created "two classes of citizens."
However, nine of the 13 provinces and territories had already recognized gay nuptials by then, following a series of lower court challenges on the basis that denying gay couples the right to marry was discriminatory.
Canada's move is expected to swell the large numbers of lesbian and gay couples who head north to get married, as same-sex unions are already permitted by most Canadian provinces and outlawed in most US states.
