Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 01/05) - The Yellowknife gay and lesbian community say passage of federal legislation that will allow same-sex couples to marry is a victory for minority rights.

"This is the final stamp of approval that means, finally, we are equal," said gay rights advocate Don Babey Wednesday.

MPs in the House of Commons passed bill C-38 Tuesday evening by a 158-133 vote. The legislation still needs to pass through Senate and receive royal assent from the governor general. Political experts say that could happen within the month.

The Northwest Territories is one of four Canadian jurisdictions that do not allow same-sex marriages.

"There is a huge sense of relief," said Babey, spokesperson for the territorial chapter of the lobby group Canadians for Equal Marriage.

"This was not an easy piece of legislation to pull off. It was a hard-fought battle."

While critics of same-sex marriage in the NWT have remained relatively silent, Babey said he suspects a sizable portion of the population opposes the new law.

Status unknown

A married couple recently intervened in a ground-breaking lawsuit launched by two Yellowknife men seeking the right to marry.

The couple argued extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians would damage the institution.

"The consequences could be far reaching, severe and detrimental to Canadian society," Ruby and Laurin Trudel said in court papers.

Babey dismissed those concerns, saying there was no evidence from other provinces that same-sex marriage has contributed to the disintegration of society.

"We all benefit from the principles that underpin this bill," he said Wednesday. "No one minority is diminished when another minority is acknowledged."

The status of the lawsuit launched by Jason Perrino and Colin Snow remains unknown. A territorial Supreme Court hearing is scheduled for early July, though the action may become moot with the passage of the federal legislation.

Sheila MacPherson, who represents Perrino and Snow, was not available for comment by press time.

The Trudels have repeatedly declined to comment on the issue.

The territorial government has maintained it cannot change the current definition of marriage - which excludes same sex couples - without a court ruling or the passage of bill C-38.

A spokesperson for the territorial Department of Justice said the marriage certificates would be available once law came into effect.