The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon MP Bev Desjarlais makes no secret of the fact that she opposes same-sex marriages. With the hot-button issue brewing across the country, she has taken a conservative position in a left-wing party, saying she will vote against legislation to change the traditional definition of matrimony. "It is my intention to vote against (legislation) if it's changing the definition of marriage," said Desjarlais yesterday. She said the majority of her constituents who have approached her about same-sex marriage have been opposed to the idea. But Desjarlais, a member of the United Church, said that based on her faith, she is against allowing homosexuals to marry. "It's a religious perspective," she said, adding that she thought long and hard about the issue. "It is a view that I'm comfortable with, a personal position, and one that I feel I can't adjust." Desjarlais admits her stance on the issue is not popular within her New Democratic Party. "There's some dissatisfaction, for sure," she said. "I'm prepared to deal with it. I would hope that there's an understanding as to why I've made my decision and my view will be respected without extreme consequences, but I do recognize it's a differing opinion. "Certainly within the party and the caucus, it's not the favoured position." Desjarlais said she believes she is the only NDP MP (there are 14 in total) who has so far gone on record against same-sex marriage legislation. She said there are varying opinions on this debate across Canada and that she is "reflecting a bit of that diversity." "I think because of the fact that there is such diversity, I don't think I would say one way or the other what will happen when we see the legislation," said Desjarlais. This past June, Prime Minister Jean Chrtien announced legislation to make same-sex marriages legal, while at the same time permitting churches and other religious groups to "sanctify marriage as they see it." He said that members of Parliament will vote on a same-sex marriage bill when it is introduced into the House of Commons next year. At a rally in support of traditional marriages held on the steps of Flin Flon City Hall on Sunday, Pastor Brian Gold of the Flin Flon Pentecostal Assembly urged residents who oppose same-sex marriage to commend Desjarlais on her stance.
