Ottawa gives in on same-sex benefits.

Focus on the Family, July/August 1998, reports the following:

Ottawa--Thanks to inaction by the federal government, the push for homosexual rights in Canada has taken a major--and possibly decisive--step forward.

On June 22, the government let pass the 60-day deadline for appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada the Rosenberg decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal. That unanimous ruling not only threw out as discriminatory the opposite-sex definition of "spouse" in the federal Income Tax Act; it also ordered that a new definition embracing same-sex partners be immediately "read in" to the Act.

By deciding not to appeal, the government appeared to be signalling that it had given up the legal fight to preserve the traditional definition of "spouse." Stated Justice Minister Anne McLellan, "It was decided that an appeal would not have merit" (Canadian Press, June 22).

The decision was immediately hailed by gay activists. "We feel very much that the stage is now set, certainly for a redrafting of the Income Tax Act, and a reconsideration of other federal laws to create a regime where gays and lesbians are treated equally in federal law," said John Fisher of Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere (Toronto Star, June 23).

Officially, the government seems in no hurry to rewrite the laws pertaining to "spouse." "We're dealing only with . . . one specific area of the Income Tax Act," said McLellan. "If in fact there are future decisions of courts in this country that implicate other federal legislation, we will deal with them when they come out" (CP, June 22).

Comment

This latest development is the fulfilling of the prophecies made two years ago, at the time when then Minister of Justice Allan Rock added "sexual orientation" to the Canada Human Rights Act (May 1996). There will be much more to come unless voters decide they have had enough of the Chretien Liberals and turf them out of office.