Press Release

December 10, 1992

Campbell Amendments a Betrayal, EGALE Says

An Ottawa lesbian and gay rights group says Justice Minister Kim Campbell has betrayed the gay community with the amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act she introduced today.

"The decision to define marital status as applicable only to partners of the opposite sex is clearly a victory for the dinosaurs in the Tory caucus," said Don Patterson, an EGALE spokesperson.

"The government has been forced to include the sexual orientation clause because of the recent Haig-Birch decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal," Patterson said. The court ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation must be prohibited under the Human Rights Act.

Patterson also noted that a human rights tribunal ruled in September that the definition of marital status in the Ontario Human Rights Code must include same-sex relationships. "Campbell’s amendments fly in the face of the Leshner decision and other recent rulings. She said only a few weeks ago that she would not introduce these amendments before Christmas because she needed more time to review these rulings. With this sudden about-face, the Tories appear to be pandering to Reform Party supporters yet again," he said.

"Of course, not all lesbians and gay men wish to get married. But many of us feel that it should be our choice, not one imposed upon us by the state because it views our relationships as inferior. This amendment demeans thousands of Canadian lesbians and gay men who live in committed long-term relationships," Patterson said.

Egale Canada ©2010

Advancing equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-identified people and their families across Canada