Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in Canada, the same-sex marriage law was first passed in Ontario in 2003, that gradually provincial courts declared that laws prohibiting same-sex marriage were unconstitutional and, that in 2005, the House of Commons passed the Civil Marriage Act legalizing same-sex marriage in all of Canada. Nonetheless, the author relates that criticism of the law, similar to the arguments continuing to be raged in the United States, still exists in Canada. The paper concludes that, as an example to the world, the legalizing of same-sex marriage in Canada has not led to the social disruption or threat to traditional marriage that its opponents claimed were inevitable.

From the Paper:

"Same-sex marriage was made legal in Ontario in 2003, and the idea spread gradually to other provinces as provincial courts declared that laws prohibiting same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional. By June 2005, same-sex marriage had been legalized in eight provinces and one territory. The House of Commons then passed The Civil Marriage Act (Bill C-38) on June 28, 2005 by a vote of 158-133, making same-sex marriage legal in all of Canada. At the time, Alberta had been the major holdout against same-sex marriage."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Callahan, Sidney. "Why I Changed My Mind." Commonweal (22 April 1994), 7-9.
• Coren, Michael. " Michael Coren on Canada's Biggest Mistake: Gay Marriage." National Post (15 April 2008). December 8, 2008. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/04/15/michael-coren-on-canada-s-biggest-mistake-gay-marriage.aspx
• Ettelbrick, Paula L. "Since When Is Marriage a Path to Liberation?" In Lesbian and Gay Marriage, Suzanne Sherman (ed.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992, 20-26. "Federal Parliamentary Commission and Discussion Paper." ReligiousTolerance.org (20 June 2008). December 8, 2008. http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_marb5.htm.
• Gomes, Charlene. "The Need for Full Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage." The Humanist, Volume 63, Issue 5 (September-October 2003). December 9, 2008. http://www.questia.com/read/5002552306?title=The%20Need%20for%20Full%20Recognition%20of%20Same-Sex%20Marriage.
• Goodman, Emily Jane. "Rights and Recognition for Same-Sex Marriage." Gotham Gazette (September 2008). December 8, 2008. http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/law/20080926/13/2659.

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