“What do you make of The Globe and Mail/CTV’s poll that suggests 55 per cent of Canadians do not want political leaders to undo the historic legislation to allow gays to legally marry?”

Leslie Swartman Liberal strategist "Well, it means that 55 per cent of Canadians agree with the government's point of view. It means 55 per cent of Canadians understand that our society is changing with the times. It means that 55 per cent of Canadians agree with the Supreme Court that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is paramount. It means that 55 per cent know that the freedom of religious beliefs is also protected under the Charter, so no religious order would have to sanction a marriage it doesn't believe in. "Unfortunately, what it also means is that the Conservatives will continue to eye those 39 per cent polled who believe the legislation should or could be undone. They will use this issue to drive a wedge between this segment of the population and the government, by falsely claiming they could keep the status quo without invoking the notwithstanding clause. "Stephen Harper should give it up. A right is a right is a right. It's time he focused on uniting Canadians rather than dividing them. (Although all Canadians ARE united on how awful that cowboy get-up looked on him!)." Mike Storeshaw Conservative strategist "Just like all of the polling that's been done on the issue, going back for at least a couple of years, this poll shows just how deeply divided Canadians are on either side. Even with the Parliamentary debate on C-38 finished, the numbers remain close, with four out of 10 Canadians in support of restoring the traditional definition of marriage. "In all regions and from all backgrounds, there are millions of Canadians who feel strongly that as a matter of social policy, the definition of marriage should have remained unchanged. They support equality, they support the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and they support traditional marriage. For them, the importance of the issue transcends the simplistic 'rights are rights are rights' interpretation that Paul Martin peddles. Many would support a compromise position on marriage, where the traditional definition would be protected and the rights and benefits of marriage could be bestowed upon other relationships. "There was a time when Paul Martin spoke of the need to consider such a compromise option. Today, those who support it are vilified by his Liberal spin machine and labelled as homophobes, bigots, or wild-eyed religious extremists. It's telling that the only ones spared are those Liberal MPs who might need those votes in the next election." Brad Lavigne NDP strategist "Considering marriage equality was the law of the land in 90 per cent of the country when the federal legislation passed, it's not surprising that Canadians don't want Liberals and Conservatives to take away their hard-fought rights. "Note to Paul Martin: Canadians don't support equality because it flows from the Charter; they support the Charter because it reflects their desire for equality. And Martin is precisely the kind of politician that the Charter was intended to protect Canadians from. "Martin voted against same-sex marriage before the courts told him it was discriminatory, he ensured no debate took place during the last election with a shameless and pointless reference to the Supreme Court, he chastised members of other political parties for trying to thwart the law--but was silent when members of his own backbench did the same and he allowed one-quarter of his MPs to vote against this 'fundamentally important issue.' "Canadians know Liberals on their own can't be trusted to ensure equality. Paul Martin doesn't believe in it, neither does a quarter of his caucus. If they did, marriage would have been dealt with a long time ago and they wouldn't be spending millions in tax dollars in court trying to deny survivor pension benefits to same-sex couples as they've done in the Hislop case. Shame." Marc Roy Liberal strategist "What's new? Once again the Conservative Party finds itself at odds with the Canadian mainstream. "The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that access to marriage was a fundamental human right, period! With the respect this Liberal government has for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we underwent a thorough process that included public consultation, a reference to the Supreme Court and finally a bill before Parliament. "During this process, Stephen Harper continuously criticized the government asking for Parliament to have its say. "Well, that day has come. Both the House of Commons and the Senate have passed Bill C-38 giving equal right to gays and lesbians from coast to coast to coast. "You can't ask Parliament to deal with an issue and then dismiss the results once it has. "This is the perfect example of the Conservative Party's hidden agenda. They say that as a government they would overturn Bill C-38 but they refuse to tell the Canadian population that the only way to do so would require the use the Notwithstanding Clause. "Mr. Harper, you want to lead--then give people the straight goods. Have the courage and integrity to admit that you must--and you will--use the Notwithstanding Clause to deny Charter rights and repeal this law."

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“What do you make of The Globe and Mail/CTV’s poll that suggests 55 per cent of Canadians do not want political leaders to undo the historic legislation to allow gays to legally marry?”

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“What do you make of The Globe and Mail/CTV’s poll that suggests 55 per cent of Canadians do not want political leaders to undo the historic legislation to allow gays to legally marry?”

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