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Canada says marriages valid

By on January 16, 2012

Canada has moved to close a loophole in its marriage laws which effectively left foreign same-sex couples who’ve married in Canada in legal limbo.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said the Government will amend the Civil Marriage Act so same-sex marriages between non-Canadians will be recognised as valid even if the unions are not recognised in a couple’s home country.

“I want to make it very clear that, in our Government’s view, these marriages should be valid,” Nicholson said on January 13.

Nicholson blamed the situation on a legislative gap left when the law was changed in 2005.

Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Rodney Croome said the Canadian Government’s statement would be a relief to gay and lesbian Australians who’ve married in Canada.

“An overseas same-sex marriage is not just symbolic — it confers a legal status that is recognised by an increasing number of Australian employers, federal departments and state governments,” Croome said.

“To throw that legal status into doubt is to throw lives in turmoil.

“This episode highlights why same-sex couples should be able to marry in Australia rather than being forced to marry overseas.”

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005, causing thousands of international gay and lesbian couples to travel to the country to marry.

Last week, however, it emerged the Department of Justice was arguing same-sex marriages between non-Canadians were not valid.

The argument was used in response to a case before the country’s courts in which a US woman and a UK woman had filed for divorce after marrying in Canada in 2005.

Canada’s divorce laws also don’t allow people who haven’t lived in Canada for at least 12 months to end their marriage.

It’s understood the Government will now amend its laws to remove the residency requirement for overseas couples who want to divorce and to affirm the validity of marriages between non-Canadian residents.

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One Comment

  1. JackAlison

    January 17, 2012 at 4:42 am


    http://www.2ue.com.au/blogs/2ue-blog/gay-protest-over-margaret-court/20120116-1q2ho.html

    It is indicative of Victorian Liberal MP Bernie Finn’s use of the word fascism. It was that very movement in the 1930′s that carted gay men off to the death camps along with other minorities. Rather than immediately kill gays it was thought that many could be cured with reparative therapy, the same therapy that Ms. Court espouses. However the Nazi version included castration and a myriad of other macabre experiments usually carried out without anaesthesia.

    http://www.petertatchell.net/lgbt_rights/history/vaernet.htm

    The system of eugenics and castration only ceased relatively recently in the 1970′s. The most celebrated British one was the Alan Turing case in the 1950′s.We have many countries in the world that still carry prison sentences and the death penalty because being gay ‘is a choice.’ This misguided hateful propaganda quite rightfully needs to be silenced and if it means Ms. Courts name is expunged from the arena, so be it. She deserves it and I hope it is a shot across the bow for any other nutbag who continues to peddle bile and bigotry.And for all the free speech, ‘fair go ‘ advocates I ask you to substitute Ms. Courts views with the word Jew or Nigger. Would it be appropriate? Absolutely NOT and gay ppl. are no longer willing to take or put up with any more attacks upon who they are. Lastly For your listeners, Liberal MP Bernie Finn conveniently failed to regail your listeners with the ‘one word’as he putit that stephanie Rice used , it was FAGGOT and it was tweeted to I don’t know how many people.This is an offensive derogatory word and no longer appropriate when it has been used to fuel so much haterd in the past.

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