Supreme Court Irrelevant

[August1991]

Am I reading this wrong?

After several lower court decisions and finally referring the question of same-sex marriage to the Supreme Court, and while waiting for an answer, it appears the Liberals have changed their mind.

But on Friday, facing a student audience at a CBC town hall event, Mr. Martin took a different stand, indicating he thinks that previous court rulings in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia have settled the matter.

G&M Martin Same Sex Marriage

WTF?

Why didn't the Libs do this before? Do their poll standings have anything to do with this change? Is this Liberal arrogance? Or is this simply PM PM making it up as he goes along?

Minor detail at the end of the same article:

Mr. Martin's campaign team has retaliated by pointing out that Mr. Layton's father Robert, a former Tory MP, also voted to cut housing aid under the Brian Mulroney government.

[idealisttotheend]

Why didn't the Libs do this before? Do their poll standings have anything to do with this change?

Libs are driving to the left fairly hard to cut off the NDP and stop the vote splitting. This is different from previous elections (as someone else pointed out here) when they drove to the right and is really a tacit surrender of the centre right vote. As such it may be seen as an election ploy

But then PM PM probably knows that the SCC decision is highly unlikely to allow for same sex 'unions' given the SCC previous positions and that of the lower courts. So it may also be simply heading off a potential problem in advance.

[takeanumber]

In a nutshell, 'seperate but equal' is not acceptable according to the SCC.

I just deleted a detailed explanation, if I'm challenged on that point, I can call up the relevant quotes from M v. H., Vriend, and that first one about the pensions, with the delightful passage by Heureux-Dube in the dissenting.

Anyway...Harper wants to unmarry people.

He should come out and say it.

He wants to reinstate the old status quo, and in so doing, make null the marriage liscenses issued by BC, Quebec, and Ontario.

As for Martin, for a man who shifted to the right to satisfy the pseudo-Liberal crypto-Conservative supporters, he certainly is shifting back to the social left quite quickly on this issue...realizing that his old position (the pseudo-Liberal one) coincides with Harpers, he moves back.

Shame on Martin for thinking we wouldn't notice his about face. Talk about a waffler. Starting to sound like Harper on Iraq.

Eh, Leggo my Eggo.