Canada. Denatured marriage in Ontario
In Canada, marriage was until now defined in the common law as being the legal and voluntary union of a man and a woman. In July 2002, the tribunal of Ontario had ruled in favor of a request of eight homosexual couples demanding the possibility of a civil marriage.
As a result of this, the federal government appealed this decision. Last June 12, the Court of Appeals rejected the intervention of the federal government, judging that to refuse civil marriage to homosexuals went contrary to the Charter of Rights and Liberties.
The Episcopal Conference of Canada called on the Federal Minister of Justice, who hesitated to request the suspension of the Ontario judgement until the Supreme Court made a ruling. He was apparently willing to accept that in the interim homosexual couples could marry legally, which some of them did. The name of this minister? Martin Cauchon [Translators note, Cauchon was the name of the bishop who played a part in the trial of Joan of Arc].
