CANADIAN MARRIAGE COMMISSIONER FILES COMPLAINT: From the Saskatoon StarPhoenix

A Saskatchewan marriage commissioner has filed a complaint with the human rights commission, citing the government's requirement to perform same-sex marriages as a violation of his right to freedom of religion.

"I would like the justice minister, and his deputies down to his marriage unit, to allow me to have the right to say I do not wish to perform a same-sex marriage," marriage commissioner Bruce Goertzen said in an interview. ...

Earlier this month, Justice Minister Frank Quennell said he expects marriage commissioners to follow the law and marry same-sex couples, prompting several to resign and others to prepare to take court action. ...

"If Saskatchewan's Justice Minister Mr. Frank Quennell is not prepared to voluntarily demonstrate this level of tolerance, then the province's Human Rights Commission needs to compel him to do so in order to protect me and other marriage commissioners from discrimination on the basis of our religion," the complaint read. ...

Quennell declined to comment on the specific complaint, indicating he hadn't seen it, but reaffirmed his stance on the issue.

He maintained, "it undercuts the purpose of civil marriage to allow marriage commissioners to import either their religious beliefs or their own personal prejudices cloaked as religious beliefs and impose those on people who have a right to a civil marriage and for whom civil marriage was in a sense created because they don't want a religious marriage," he said.

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posted by Eve at 6:09 PM | link

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