Canada reverses same-sex marriage policy for foreigners

[Black King]

Canada reverses same-sex marriage policy for foreigners | The Stream - Al Jazeera English

Canada has decided not to recognise same-sex marriage for foreign couples, The Globe and Mail reported.

The ruling was prompted by a divorce case involving a lesbian couple that wed in Toronto in 2005. The court told them they could not divorce because their marriage wasn't recognised abroad in their places of residency. The couple resides in England and the U.S. state of Florida, where same-sex marriages are not legal. The newspaper reported that same-sex couples married in Canada now must adhere to a one-year residency requirement to be legally married.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressed the newspaper's report saying, “We have no intention of further re-opening or opening the case.”

Non-Canadians have been flocking to the country since 2004, when the government legalised gay marriage. The report says that of the 15,000 same-sex marriages that have taken place, about 5,000 involve foreign couples.

Watch our recent show "Is Canada moving to the right?" about Canada's shift away from progressive policies.

These are some highlights of the conversation around the web:

 

[Clara Oswald]

Oh FFS who cares if gay people get married?! Could we please stop wasting valuable time in our legislatures making laws about this? If you don't like it, you don't have to marry someone of your own sex. The end.

 

[Black King]

cause people are discriminatory idiots?

 

[Clara Oswald]

I guess so. Someone should do a study on how much money would be saved in government budgets if we just got rid of laws like that and didn't take up man hours on them anymore.

Edit:

And another thing: hey, let's face it, today TONS of people don't get married and just live together. So many people say how it's practically the same thing as being married. So even if you are all anti-gay marriage, what is really the difference (to you) if the people are married or just living together? It means something to them but it really means nothing to people who don't know them.

 

[Karma]

I agree w/ Vil but BK is right too. the PROBLEM is that ppl want to go out of their way to DENY same sex couple the rights THEY take for granted & that sucks. there's no "sanctity of marraige"...just as Newt Gingrich...or half the population of utah!?

& imo marraige is overrated anyway. it's an ARCHAICH religious concept that was designed to "give man dominion over woman". Initially she "belonged" to her father. But marraige would pass her from her father to her husband & if she had any wealth or assets, the HUSBAND got control of that too!

It's only been the last 50-60 years that the notion of marraige being all about the BRIDE & being some kind of "mutual committment" has taken root.

 

[Clara Oswald]

Well though I don't personally care about having a piece of paper, I don't really think it's archaic. What it means NOW is different from what it meant thousands of years ago. Getting rid of marriage isn't suddenly going to make men (who don't) respect women more.