Update on the Gay Marriage Issue

In November I wrote some comments on a bill that would have allowed marriage commissioners in Alberta to refuse to perform same-sex marriage. In my comments I said, "Before the beginning of gay marriage, I think marriage commissioners were expected to marry any couple that was legally eligible for marriage. (I've been having trouble confirming this though. Even the Alberta government website seems kind of vague, although I didn't read the Marriage Act, or whatever it's called.)" Recently I read something that Glenn Penner from Voice of the Martyrs Canada said (Sorry, this link may eventually lead to the wrong place, but hopefully not for a few weeks): "It is worth noting, that marriage commissioners are licensed by their provincial governments and not employed or paid by the government. Therefore, they should not be forced by the government to perform marriage ceremonies contrary to their religious beliefs. The Supreme Court of Canada has confirmed that clergy cannot be compelled to perform marriages contrary to their religious beliefs. This same freedom should apply to licensed marriage commissioners. Interestingly enough, in the past, marriage commissioners could refuse to officiate at weddings that violated their religious convictions."

Assuming the facts (not the opinions) in this statement are accurate (as I mentioned earlier, it's hard to find a clear answer on this from the Alberta government website), I would like to apologize for making assumptions in that post in November and I'd like to clarify my views now.

If marriage commissioners really could refuse to perform whichever weddings they didn't want to perform, then that right should include the right to refuse to do gay weddings. But if this is the case, I don't think Ted Morton's Bill 208 is the right solution because it puts the focus on homosexuality. I think it would be better to just say that marriage commissioners can refuse to do any wedding they disagree with.