Posted on 12/03/2003 9:12:02 AM PST by Loyalist
Poll shows opposition softening if separate category is created for same-sex unions
A new National Post poll suggests Canadians' views on same-sex marriage have shifted markedly in recent months, with a solid majority now opposed to the notion.
That compares to an almost even split -- with a slight advantage to supporters of gay and lesbian marriage -- in other polls this summer and fall.
But the new COMPAS Inc. survey, conducted in October and November, also indicates many of those who are against recognizing same-sex couples under the existing marriage law would agree to endorsing such unions in a separate legal category.
When asked in the COMPAS poll to choose one of three options, 30% said marriage should include only heterosexuals, and 37% said the definition of marriage should stay intact but a new category that includes same-sex unions should be created.
Only 31% said traditional marriage should be opened to gays.
With courts in British Columbia and Ontario having ruled that same-sex couples have a legal right to marriage, the federal Liberal government has promised to bring in legislation allowing the practice across Canada.
Stephen Harper, the Canadian Alliance leader, said the poll is consistent with soundings done by his party.
"The position that most Canadian Alliance MPs have taken and most Tories have taken is that we are prepared to recognize in law non-traditional relationships, including gay unions, but that does not mean dismantling the traditional definition or institution of marriage," he told a meeting of the National Post editorial board yesterday.
"That position -- preserving traditional marriage, while broadening legal recognition -- is and has been the public consensus in this country."
Bob Gallagher of the group Canadians for Equal Marriage said he cannot understand the apparent increase in opposition to same-sex marriages.
"It doesn't make sense," he said. "Those are very, very different numbers than we have seen. ... It doesn't coincide with what I perceive, in terms of there being a tremendous amount of activity on the issue that has somehow changed opinion."
Mr. Gallagher said the middle option of a law creating a so-called "civil union" separate from marriage seems on the surface like a reasonable compromise. But it might not stand up in court and would create the kind of segregation that, like school segregation between blacks and whites in the United States, leads to inequality, he said.
The bottom line is that Canadians remain deeply divided on the issue, said Conrad Winn, the president of COMPAS.
"There are some really strong feelings," he said.
"That's always a little dangerous in a democratic society. It would be good to either convince the ends of the spectrum to be accommodating, or to find an accommodating solution."
Paul Martin, the Liberal leader who becomes prime minister on Dec. 12, indicated in the summer he would endorse gay marriage because his duty as a member of Parliament outweighs his personal beliefs on the issue.
"I am a practising Catholic and I have responsibilities as a legislator and those responsibilities must take in a wider perspective," Mr. Martin said in July.
However, Mr. Martin hinted in the fall that he would consider alternatives to the draft same-sex legislation that has been sent to the Supreme Court of Canada for a legal opinion and would be voted on sometime next year.
He said in September that he would consider "a number of other options that have been put on the table," as long as they comply with the Charter of Rights.
Of the 1,000 respondents to the COMPAS poll, 63% said they would strongly or somewhat support the federal government keeping the current definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, while 31% opposed maintaining the status quo.
The last major poll on the issue, by Environics in September and October, found that 56% supported same-sex marriage and 42% opposed it.
An Ipsos-Reid survey in August found an even 49-49 split on the question of whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry and register their marriage with provincial governments.
Mr. Winn said variations in how questions were asked by the various pollsters may account for some of the differences.
Not surprisingly, the COMPAS poll found a sharp divide between supporters of left-wing and right-wing parties. Almost 50% of Alliance voters and 43% of Conservative voters said they would favour keeping the current definition of marriage, compared with 26% of Liberals and 19% of NDP backers.
Respondents were almost evenly divided on whether religious organizations should speak out about political questions important to their beliefs, with 49% saying Yes and 48% No.
There was a clearer response on the question of the court decisions that ruled same-sex marriage a right, as 46% said the judges went beyond what laws and the Constitution intended, and 34% said they followed the law.
tblackwell@nationalpost.com
© Copyright 2003 National Post
No wonder canada took the side of hussein.
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