No New Vote on Same Sex Marriage

In a predictable move, the Canadian Parliament voted this past week, to not bring a new motion to repeal same sex marriage rights. The Bloc Quebecois, New Democrats, the majority of the Liberal caucas and a dozen Conservatives including some Cabinet Ministers all took a pass card on reopening the divisive debate.

Polls this year have shown that a majority of Canadians (51%) support the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. A larger percentage however responded that this issue should not be reopened by Parliament.

The Federal Conservatives knew that this was a non-starter; any bill that they crafted to end gay marriage would surely be struck down by the Supreme Court. Quite frankly making law that you know is not constitutional is more than dumb, it's un-Canadian.

Harper had promised his conservative Alberta and Christian base that he would put the gay marriage issue to a a free vote. He kept his word and the motion was defeated. It will be interesting to see if these folks can now move on and accept the answer. They can no longer blame this on "Interfering Judges" which is one of the favourite arguments of the right. Twice now, Parliament has decided this matter.

Should the State Legislate Morality?

** Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others**(Oscar Wilde, phrases and philosophies for the use of the young)

All sorts of moral issues have resurfaced in our ongoing debate about how Canadian Law and Society ought to be structured. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) enshrined individual rights into the Canadian Constitution and entrusted the Supreme Court to be the guardian of those rights. Pierre Trudeau, the father of the Charter, argued that "the State had no place in the bedrooms of the Nation."

John Stuart Mill (1859) had argued that the State can only exercise control over the "sovereign individual" to protect another person from real and tangible harm. Mill was very clear that this harm cannot be moral offence. Mill's theories and Trudeau's Charter are at the very foundation of the modern liberal democracy.

Philosopher Robert George argues that on the contrary the state has an obligation to regulate moral life. Social Conservatives, such as some folks in the current Conservative Party of Canada (especially those from the old Reform Alliance Wing) support all sorts of government limits on same sex marriage, abortion rights for woman and minority rights. They would argue that traditional values trump those individual liberties which in their view may confer too many rights to minorities within society.

What do you think?

Watch the Video (link below) to see what Rick Mercer thinks:
**Remember Rick Mercer uses satire to make his point, it is not intended to be offensive.**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vQvKpj5ThQ

Welcome to My Blog

This is my introduction post at my Teaching Blog. I am an instructor from Loyalist College in Belleville Ontario. This Blog was opened as part of a professional development course that I am taking, in Active and Engaged Learning.

I teach Interviewing and Counselling and Social Welfare Legislation on a part-time basis at Loyalist.

Stay tuned for more interesting items on my blog.