Canadian christians vow to protect marriage

Ottawa, Canada, Jul 3, 2005 / 22:00 pm

In the wake of last week’s decision of the Canadian House of Commons to allow for the legality of same-sex unions, Christian and church groups are vowing to protect the sanctity of marriage, even if, they say, Prime Minister Paul Martin is not.

The Civil Marriage Act, Bill C-38, passed the House of Commons 158-133 last Tuesday night sparking both excitement and outrage across the nation.
Focus on the Family’s Canada spokesperson Anna Marie White told Baptist Press last week that the battle is not over.

"We've certainly seen a galvanizing, an interest amongst Canadian Christians to really fight for their values and to fight for their country in a way that has not happened around any other issue for perhaps a couple of decades," she said.

Likewise, Dr. Charles McVety, senior director of Defend Marriage, referred to conservative leader Stephen Harper, who, he says, "has committed himself to making same-sex marriage an issue in the next election and . . . we intend to remind him of that promise and to mobilize people to elect pro-marriage candidates in the next election."

Catholic Civil Rights League president Phil Horgan also added recently that, “Politicians who voted in favour of this bill will be held accountable."

The Spanish government last week followed closely behind Canada in passing their own law permitting same-sex unions.