SIKH STRICTURES OVERSHADOW CANADIAN PM'S INDIAN VISIT: From the Toronto Star

Prime Minister Paul Martin vigorously countered an influential religious edict from the highest Sikh clerical authority urging all Sikhs to resist the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Sikh voters in Canada ought to consider the protection the Charter of Rights affords them and other minorities and support the bill that the Liberal government plans to introduce as soon as Parliament resumes Jan. 31, Martin said yesterday.

Martin stressed that no religious group will be forced to perform gay marriages, and launched into a lengthy defence of his bill, in remarks aimed squarely at a Canadian audience.

"I would point out that we are a country of ethnic and religious minorities," Martin told Canadian and Indian journalists after meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here.

"The purpose of the Charter of Rights is to protect minorities, protect them against oppression of the majority. That's the reason that you have a Charter."

The controversial issue caught up with Martin and overshadowed his visit here, which was aimed mainly at promoting trade and his ideas for a new global forum of 20 country leaders.

more
posted by Eve at 2:32 AM | link

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home