That’s the greater implication of this proposed blackmail by the Conservatives:
The Opposition Conservatives are willing to support the NDP’s $4.6-billion budget amendment, but only if the Liberals agree to delay same-sex marriage legislation.
The Liberals have the numbers to pass the budget even without Conservative support. So did the Liberals grow a backbone and tell the Tories to stuff it? Hah! Not exactly:
Reacting to word of the opposition offer, Prime Minister Paul Martin’s spokesperson Scott Reid said no deal had been struck.
“The government committed to make every effort without summarily cutting off debate and others’ views to get C-38 passed this session,” Reid said.
But, Reid added, actually getting the same-sex marriage legislation passed before Parliament rises may be out of the government’s hands.
“That remains our hope, but the fact of the matter is that if the Conservatives are determined to obstruct and filibuster, it may be difficult.”
In other words, they’re committed to the bill as long as it doesn’t make life too difficult for them. Oh yeah, that’s a strong stand.
Damian Penny thinks that the Tories have failed because they haven’t told Canadians in any clear terms what they stand for. I have to disagree. The Conservatives are making it blazingly obvious what they stand for: they have a single-minded obsession with gay rights that is trumping everything else on the agenda. Kate McMillan thinks the Tories need a three-syllable platform to win support. Well, how’s this for a three-syllable platform: “homophobes”.
Sadly, the Conservatives seem unable to get past being a single-issue party, and the Liberals seem unable to stand up to their blackmail. And of course, when auctioning off civil rights, minorities like Canada’s gay population are the first losers. Who will it be next?
I want the OLD Progressive Conservative Party back.
These guys are hopeless; frankly, I just don’t care about the Gay marriage issue, I do, however, care A LOT about having 5 billion added to the National debt!
Gee, why don’t we put the SMM matter to a referendum?
Fact is, if this happened, most Canadians would vote against it.
To restate my perpetual example, if a referendum were held in Quebec asking whether people thought the Jews should pay double the amount of tax as everyone else, it would pass with an overwhelming margin.
Some things shouldn’t be decided by referendum. Majorities don’t get to decide the human rights of minorities. That’s what we have a Charter of Rights for.
off topic but…
google: sari stein
then click “image”.
look at the pics.. it is funny…
is that girl you sari?
hehehehehe
ok i admit i am a stalker.
and i am weird also.
Sari, I fail to see how gay *marriage* could be considered a fundamental right.
Do you not think that the ultimate act of homophobia is the murder of a gay person?
Over a half million gay men in North America alone have died of aids. The number for Western Europe is similar.
Gays are wealthy and so a whole industry has grown up around them to cater to every taste and every whim.
That industry, though, ultimately makes its profits on the backs of gay corpses.
The fellas that run the industry are the some ones pushing for gay marriage. You know, they toot their horn, wave a flaccid condom, and then exhort us all to get involved in their “little red ribbon” campaign to *battle* aids. So much window dressing to protect the industry.
I went to my first gay bar in 1974. Thirty-one years later i have the humility AND honesty AND hindsight to freely admit this: WE,VE ALL BEEN HAD!
Civil unions and a HEAPIN’ HELPIN’ dose of sobriety; That’s what gays need.
And friendship too!
False analogy, Sari. You have to be smarter than that.
A major change in the social fabric is being undertaken. Isn’t it fair that your vote counts as much as an MP’s or a judges? On whether to preserve the status quo or not? Quebec’s independence is important enough to put on the ballot, why not this? A fundemental aspect of society could be changed. If it isn’t done via referendum, it will do more to seperate Canadians than any blow-hard francaphone with delusions of gallic grandeur.
And I, unlike you, will not insult those that disagree with me by using bad analogies.
JohnP; glad YOU said that! We straights aren’t allowed to voice that kind of opinion ’cause that would prove that we’re ‘homophobes’. Freakin’ Industry is right…
Reminds me of ANY political discussion with ANY NDPer, ie you can’t win.
;)…fortunately, we married guys have a LOT of practice in no-win ‘discussions’.