Court: Canadian Commissioners Must Wed Gay Couples

Tue, Jan. 11 2011
By Nathan Black
Christian Post Reporter

Marriage commissioners cannot refuse to perform same-sex marriages, even if doing so would be contrary to their religious beliefs, the highest appeal court in Saskatchewan, Canada, ruled Monday.

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal rejected two amendments to Canada's Marriage Act that would have protected the religious and conscience freedoms of marriage commissioners.

"Either of them, if enacted, would violate the equality rights of gay and lesbian individuals," the court said in its decision as it declared the amendments to be unconstitutional.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, an intervenor in the case, expressed disappointment in the ruling. the rest