No Canadian referendum on same-sex marriage after high court

Martin says no to same-sex marriage referendum

CTV.ca News Staff

Prime Minister Paul Martin has given a frosty reception to holding a national referendum on same-sex marriage, saying the issue belongs in the House of Commons.

"I think that this is an issue that parliamentarians ought to decide," Martin said Sunday in his Montreal-area riding.

"The courts have now given their direction. I think it's one for Parliament and I think that Parliament ought to accept their responsibility."

Martin wasn't alone in giving the referendum concept the cold shoulder. John Reynolds, the Conservative House Leader said his party won't push for a national referendum either, despite what Alberta Premier Ralph Klein says.

"That's Ralph," John Reynolds told CTV's Question Period. "And Ralph is Ralph."

Klein told CTV's Calgary affiliate CFCN Friday he's "thoroughly disappointed" the Supreme Court gave Ottawa the go-ahead last week to redefine marriage and urged people to lobby for a national referendum.

On Sunday in Montreal, Martin said the political action he's interested in will happen on the floor of the House of Commons.

Martin's sentiments were echoed over the weekend by his Justice Minister, Irwin Cotler, who slammed the idea of a plebiscite.

"He's trying to do an end run around the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Cotler said of Klein's position. "And it's not going to work."

Harper against idea, too

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper hasn't demanded a referendum but still accused the Martin Liberals of being undemocratic.

"It's clear to me that with or without a referendum, this government didn't want a democratic decision. This government wanted the court to settle the issue for it and the court refused to do so," he told reporters.

However, Harper remains opposed to same-sex marriage and said the issue now is whether Martin will allow a free vote when the bill is introduced.

"I think the total change of the definition of marriage is not what Canadians want and so I think Mr. Martin's on the wrong side of that."

NDP MP Bill Siksay told Question Period his party does not support the idea of a national plebiscite on the issue.

"I don't think you put basic human rights to a national referendum. I think this is a place where parliamentarians have to take our responsibility seriously."

But doing just that may stir up political controversy, warns Ontario Liberal MP Pat O'Brien, who says the vote in the House could be very tight.

"It's an uphill fight, but closer than some people would like to believe it is," O'Brien told CTV from his home riding in London, Ont.

After the Supreme Court decision was announced, Martin said legislation extending marriage to same-sex couples will be introduced.

The bill will go what's know as a "two-line whip" vote in the House of Commons. That means cabinet ministers will have to vote for the bill. However, backbench MPs will be free to vote as they choose.

O'Brien said Martin should let all of his MPs -- including cabinet ministers -- vote as they wish.

'Once in a lifetime'

"Let them vote their conscience," O'Brien said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime, once-in-a-career issue."

And, while O'Brien would not name names, he suggested one cabinet minister will vote against the bill.

"I know one friend in cabinet who has said, 'I'm gone if I have to tow the party line on this.'"

Northern Development Minister Joe Comuzzi signaled Thursday he might break ranks. He said he can't break an election promise he made to constituents to fight same-sex marriage.

Taking a closer look at support for the legislation, it appears the 54 Bloc and 19 NDP MPs would vote for it.

There are 134 Liberal MPs. If 39 Liberal cabinet ministers vote for the legislation, that means as many as 87 Liberal MPs could vote in favour of the legislation while 47 could vote against it and it would still pass.

Of the 99 Conservative MPs only one, Belinda Stronach, has said she will vote in favour of the same-sex legislation. That leaves 98 MPs who could vote against the bill.

It's not certain how the two independents, former Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish and Chuck Cadman will vote.

With a total of 308 seats in the House, the bill would need 155 votes to pass.

Meanwhile, veteran hockey star Brett Hull put the whole controversy in perspective this way on NBC's Saturday Night Live: "Well, that's what happens in Canada when there's no hockey."

With files from CTV's Question Period and from The Canadian Press