Toronto, Canada, Jan 19, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Toronto Archbishop Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic sent an open letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin, urging him to block same-sex marriage by invoking the Canadian Constitution’s notwithstanding clause, The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday.
The clause, which can be employed to override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is a temporary measure that needs renewal every five years.
Cardinal Ambrozic says this five-year period would allow for more debate and give Canadians the opportunity “to observe the social experiments now under way” in countries where same-sex marriage is legal, such as in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper disagrees with the cardinal, saying that the notwithstanding clause is “not necessary.”