Aug 10, 2005 / 22:00 pm
In light of Canada’s recent legalization of homosexual marriage, legislators in Alberta are working to enact a new proposal aimed at protecting those who refuse to marry gays based on their moral convictions.
At the moment, many fear that commissioners who are unwilling to perform the marriages based on their religious beliefs could be subject to the nation’s hate laws and accused of discrimination.
In order to protect the marriage commissioners, experts say that Section 33--or the so-called “notwithstanding clause”--of the Charter on Human Rights and Freedoms would have to be enacted.
Justice Minister Ron Stevens told the Edmonton Journal that, “We will do what we feel is necessary in that regard to protect the marriage commissioners and their religious beliefs…and if in fact that does require the notwithstanding clause it’s our intention to use it.”