Members of the 39th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage explained

This article lists the members of the 39th Parliament of Canada and their voting records in regards to the Civil Marriage Act, which amended the Marriage Act of Canada to recognize same-sex marriage. The 39th Parliament was elected at the federal election of January 23, 2006. The Conservative leader, Stephen Harper, who was then leader of the opposition campaigned on holding another free vote on the issue, after one was held in the 38th Parliament to approve the Act.

The Conservatives won enough seats to form a government following the election but Harper, who became Prime Minister, only had enough seats to form a minority government meaning the opposition parties had enough seats to defeat a government motion on same-sex marriage. However, a motion could pass if it could attract enough support from individual opposition MPs in a free vote. The government announced that it would introduce a motion before the end of 2006.

On 7 December 2006, the House of Commons of Canada voted on a motion that read as follows: "That this House call on the government to introduce legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil unions and while respecting existing same-sex marriages." The motion was defeated by a vote of 123 to 175.[1] Liberal and Conservative parties gave their members permission to vote freely. Thirteen Conservatives voted against the motion, and the same number of Liberals voted in favour. The Bloc Québécois and NDP caucuses were expected to oppose the motion, all NDP MPs did so as did all BQ MPs except for two who were paired and two who were absent.

Following the vote, Harper announced that the issue was now settled and that his government would not revisit the matter even if it won a majority government in the next election, held October 14, 2008.

Votes

House of Commons Vote, December 7, 2006

GroupForAgainstAbsentTotalConservative Cabinet196025Conservative Backbench91719913853101047451NDP029029Independents0112
Totals1231759307
House Speaker11

A majority of votes 154 were needed to ensure the motion passed, although the only formal requirement for passing one is the assent of a majority of members in attendance for the vote.

Note: The Speaker of the House of Commons, Peter Milliken, a Liberal, could only vote in the unlikely event of a tie.

Background

See also: Members of the 38th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage became legal in Canada in 2003 when a series of court decisions declared that denying the privilege to homosexuals was unconstitutional. The Civil Marriage Act was approved by the Canadian House of Commons on June 28, 2005, by a margin of 158 to 133 and was subsequently passed by the Senate of Canada on July 19, 2005, before being given Royal Assent on July 20, 2005. This law brought the two provinces where such court challenges had not been resolved, Alberta and Prince Edward Island, in line with the rest of the country. The issue remained controversial and Conservative leader Stephen Harper pledged to revisit the issue with a free vote should the Conservatives form a government. Harper's party won the greatest number of seats in the 2006 federal election. Harper said that he would address this issue by means of a simple motion to the House as to whether or not the matter should be revisited. If the motion were to pass his government would introduce legislation to change the legal definition of marriage to two opposite sex couples, while creating civil unions for same-sex couples; should the motion be defeated, the government will take no further action.

House of Commons

Conservative Cabinet

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
Rona AmbroseEdmonton—Spruce Grove, AB
John BairdOttawa West—Nepean, ON
Maxime BernierBeauce, QC
Jean-Pierre BlackburnJonquière—Alma, QC
Lawrence CannonPontiac, QC
Tony ClementParry Sound-Muskoka, ON
Stockwell DayOkanagan—Coquihalla, BC
David EmersonVancouver Kingsway, BC
Diane FinleyHaldimand—Norfolk, ON
Jim FlahertyWhitby-Oshawa, ON
Stephen HarperCalgary Southwest, AB
Loyola HearnSt. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Gary LunnSaanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Peter MacKayCentral Nova, NS
Rob NicholsonNiagara Falls, ON
Gordon O'ConnorCarleton—Mississippi Mills, ON
Bev OdaDurham, ON
Jim PrenticeCalgary Centre-North, AB
Carol SkeltonSaskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
Monte SolbergMedicine Hat, AB
Chuck StrahlChilliwack—Fraser Canyon, BC
Greg ThompsonNew Brunswick Southwest, NB
Vic ToewsProvencher, MB
Peter Van LoanYork—Simcoe, ON
Josée VernerLouis-St-Laurent, QC

Conservative backbench

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
Jim AbbottKootenay—Columbia, BC
Diane AblonczyCalgary—Nose Hill, AB
Harold AlbrechtKitchener—Conestoga, ON
Michael AllenTobique—Mactaquac, NB
Dean AllisonNiagara West—Glanbrook, ON
Rob AndersCalgary West, AB
David L. AndersonCypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Dave BattersPalliser, SK
Leon BenoitVegreville—Wainwright, AB
James BezanSelkirk—Interlake, MB
Steven BlaneyLévis—Bellechasse, QC
Sylvie BoucherBeauport—Limoilou, QC
Garry BreitkreuzYorkton—Melville, SK
Gord BrownLeeds—Grenville, ON
Patrick BrownBarrie, ON
Rod BruinoogeWinnipeg South, MB
Blaine CalkinsWetaskiwin, AB
Ron CannanKelowna—Lake Country, BC
Colin CarrieOshawa, ON
Bill CaseyCumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS
Rick CassonLethbridge, AB
Michael ChongWellington—Halton Hills, ON
John CumminsDelta—Richmond East, BC
Pat DavidsonSarnia—Lambton, ON
Dean Del MastroPeterborough, ON
Barry DevolinHaliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
Norman DoyleSt. John's East, NL
Rick DykstraSt. Catharines, ON
Ken EppEdmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Edward FastAbbotsford, BC
Brian FitzpatrickPrince Albert, SK
Steven FletcherCharleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB
Royal GalipeauOttawa—Orléans, ON
Cheryl Gallant(federal electoral district)|Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Peter GoldringEdmonton East, AB
Gary GoodyearCambridge, ON
Jacques GourdeLotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Nina GrewalFleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Helena GuergisSimcoe—Grey, ON
Art HangerCalgary Northeast, AB
Richard HarrisCariboo—Prince George, BC
Luc HarveyLouis-Hébert, QC
Laurie HawnEdmonton Centre, AB
Russ HiebertSouth Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
Jay HillPrince George—Peace River, BC
Betty HintonKamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
Rahim JafferEdmonton—Strathcona, AB
Brian JeanFort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Randy KampPitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC
Gerald KeddySouth Shore—St. Margaret's, NS
Jason KenneyCalgary Southeast, AB
Ed KomarnickiSouris—Moose Mountain, SK
Daryl KrampPrince Edward—Hastings, ON
Michael LakeEdmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Guy LauzonStormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Pierre LemieuxGlengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Tom LukiwskiRegina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
James LunneyNanaimo—Alberni, BC
Dave MacKenzieOxford, ON
Fabian ManningAvalon, NL
Inky MarkDauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB
Colin MayesOkanagan—Shuswap, BC
Ted MenziesMacleod, AB
Rob MerrifieldYellowhead, AB
Larry MillerBruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Bob MillsRed Deer, AB
James MoorePort Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Rob MooreFundy Royal, NB
Rick NorlockNorthumberland—Quinte West, ON
Deepak ObhraiCalgary East, AB
Brian PallisterPortage—Lisgar, MB
Christian ParadisMégantic—L'Érable, QC
Daniel PetitCharlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Pierre PoilievreNepean—Carleton, ON
Joe PrestonElgin—Middlesex—London, ON
James RajotteEdmonton—Leduc, AB
Scott ReidLanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Lee RichardsonCalgary Centre, AB
Gerry RitzBattlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Andrew ScheerRegina—Qu'Appelle, SK
Gary SchellenbergerPerth Wellington, ON
Bev ShipleyLambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
Joy SmithKildonan—St. Paul, MB
Kevin SorensonCrowfoot, AB
Bruce StantonSimcoe North, ON
Brian StorsethWestlock—St. Paul, AB
David SweetAncaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON
Myron ThompsonWild Rose, AB
David TilsonDufferin—Caledon, ON
Bradley TrostSaskatoon—Humboldt, SK
Merv TweedBrandon—Souris, MB
Dave Van KesterenChatham-Kent—Essex, ON
Maurice VellacottSaskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Mike WallaceBurlington, ON
Mark WarawaLangley, BC
Chris WarkentinPeace River, AB
Jeff WatsonEssex, ON
John G. WilliamsEdmonton—St. Albert, AB
Lynne YelichBlackstrap, SK

Liberal Party

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
Omar AlghabraMississauga—Erindale, ON
Larry BagnellYukon, YT
Navdeep BainsMississauga—Brampton South, ON
Sue BarnesLondon West, ON
Colleen BeaumierBrampton West, ON
Mauril BélangerOttawa—Vanier, ON
Don BellNorth Vancouver, BC
Carolyn BennettSt. Paul's, ON
Maurizio BevilacquaVaughan, ON
Ray BoninNickel Belt, ON
Ken BoshcoffThunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Scott BrisonKings—Hants, NS
Bonnie BrownOakville, ON
Gerry ByrneHumber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
John CannisScarborough Centre, ON
Brenda ChamberlainGuelph, ON
Raymond ChanRichmond, BC
Denis CoderreBourassa, QC
Joe ComuzziThunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Irwin CotlerMount Royal, QC
Roy CullenPairedEtobicoke North, ON
Rodger CuznerCape Breton—Canso, NS
Jean-Claude D'AmoursMadawaska—Restigouche, NB
Ruby DhallaBrampton—Springdale, ON
Sukh DhaliwalNewton—North Delta, BC
Stéphane DionSaint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Ujjal DosanjhVancouver South, BC
Ken DrydenYork Centre, ON
Wayne EasterMalpeque, PE
Mark EykingSydney—Victoria, NS
Raymonde FolcoLaval—Les Îles, QC
Hedy FryVancouver Centre, BC
John GodfreyDon Valley West, ON
Ralph GoodaleWascana, SK
Bill GrahamToronto Centre, ON
Albina GuarnieriMississauga East—Cooksville, ON
Mark HollandAjax—Pickering, ON
Charles HubbardMiramichi, NB
Michael IgnatieffEtobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
Marlene JenningsNotre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Susan KadisThornhill, ON
Nancy Karetak-LindellNunavut, NU
Jim KarygiannisScarborough—Agincourt, ON
Tina KeeperChurchill, MB
Wajid KhanMississauga—Streetsville, ON
Jean LapierreOutremont, QC
Dominic LeBlancBeauséjour, NB
Derek LeeScarborough—Rouge River, ON
Lawrence MacAulayCardigan, PE
Gurbax MalhiBramalea—Gore—Malton, ON
John MaloneyWelland, ON
Diane MarleauSudbury, ON
Keith MartinEsquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Paul MartinLaSalle—Émard, QC
Bill MatthewsRandom—Burin—St. George's, NL
John McCallumMarkham—Unionville, ON
David McGuintyOttawa South, ON
Joe McGuireEgmont, PE
John McKayScarborough-Guildwood, ON
Dan McTeaguePickering—Scarborough East, ON
Gary MerastyDesnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Maria MinnaBeaches—East York, ON
Brian MurphyMoncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Shawn MurphyCharlottetown, PE
Anita NevilleWinnipeg South Centre, MB
Stephen OwenVancouver Quadra, BC
Massimo PacettiSaint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Bernard PatryPairedPierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Glen PearsonLondon North Centre, ON
Jim PetersonWillowdale, ON
Marcel ProulxHull—Aylmer, QC
Yasmin RatansiDon Valley East, ON
Karen RedmanKitchener Centre, ON
Geoff ReganHalifax West, NS
Lucienne RobillardWestmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Pablo RodriguezHonoré—Mercier, QC
Anthony RotaNipissing—Timiskaming, ON
Todd RussellLabrador, NL
Michael SavageDartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Francis ScarpaleggiaLac-Saint-Louis, QC
Andy ScottFredericton, NB
Judy SgroYork West, ON
Mario SilvaDavenport, ON
Raymond SimardSaint Boniface, MB
Scott SimmsBonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Lloyd St. AmandBrant, ON
Brent St. DenisAlgoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Paul SteckleHuron—Bruce, ON
Belinda StronachNewmarket—Aurora, ON
Paul SzaboMississauga South, ON
Andrew TelegdiKitchener—Waterloo, ON
Lui TemelkovskiOak Ridges—Markham, ON
Robert G. ThibaultWest Nova, NS
Alan TonksYork South—Weston, ON
Roger ValleyKenora, ON
Joe VolpeEglinton—Lawrence, ON
Tom WappelScarborough Southwest, ON
Blair WilsonWest Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
Bryon WilfertRichmond Hill, ON
Borys WrzesnewskyjEtobicoke Centre, ON
Paul ZedSaint John, NB

Bloc Québécois

Leader Gilles Duceppe announced on February 10, 2006, that he would force the caucus to vote against Harper's motion.

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
Guy AndréBerthier—Maskinongé, QC
Gérard AsselinManicouagan, QC
Claude BachandSaint-Jean QC
Vivian BarbotPapineau, QC
André BellavanceRichmond—Arthabaska, QC
Bernard BigrasRosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Raynald BlaisGaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
France BonsantCompton—Stanstead, QC
Robert BouchardChicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Diane BourgeoisTerrebonne—Blainville, QC
Paule BrunelleTrois-Rivières, QC
Serge CardinSherbrooke, QC
Robert CarrierAlfred-Pellan, QC
Paul CrêteMontmagny—L'Islet— Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Claude DebellefeuilleBeauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Nicole DemersLaval, QC
Johanne DeschampsLaurentides—Labelle, QC
Gilles DuceppeLaurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Meili FailleVaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Carole FreemanChâteauguay, QC
Christiane GagnonQuébec, QC
Roger GaudetMontcalm, QC
Michel GauthierRoberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Raymond GravelRepentigny, QC
Monique GuayRivière-du-Nord, QC
Michel GuimondMontmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Maka KottoSaint-Lambert, QC
Jean-Yves LaforestSaint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
Mario LaframboiseArgenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Francine LalondeMercier, QC
Carole LavalléeSaint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Marc LemayAbitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Yves LessardChambly—Borduas, QC
Yvon LévesqueAbitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Yvan Loubier (Paired)Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Marcel LussierBrossard—La Prairie, QC
Luc MaloVerchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Réal MénardHochelaga, QC
Serge MénardMarc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Maria MouraniAhuntsic, QC
Richard NadeauGatineau, QC
Christian OuelletBrome—Missisquoi, QC
Pierre PaquettePairedJoliette, QC
Gilles-A. PerronRivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Pauline PicardDrummond, QC
Louis PlamondonBas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC
Jean-Yves RoyHaute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Thierry St-CyrJeanne-Le Ber, QC
Caroline St-HilaireLongueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
Louise Thibault (Paired)Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Robert VincentShefford, QC

New Democratic Party

The NDP caucus did not allow a free vote so MPs were obliged to vote against the Conservative motion.

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
Charlie AngusTimmins-James Bay, ON
Alex AtamanenkoBritish Columbia Southern Interior, BC
Catherine J. BellVancouver Island North, BC
Dennis BevingtonWestern Arctic
Dawn BlackNew Westminster—Coquitlam, BC
Bill BlaikieElmwood—Transcona, MB
Chris CharltonHamilton Mountain, ON
Olivia ChowTrinity—Spadina, ON
David ChristophersonHamilton Centre, ON
Joe ComartinWindsor—Tecumseh, ON
Jean CrowderNanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Nathan CullenSkeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Libby DaviesVancouver East, BC
Paul DewarOttawa Centre, ON
Yvon GodinAcadie—Bathurst, NB
Peter JulianBurnaby—New Westminster, BC
Jack LaytonToronto—Danforth, ON
Wayne MarstonHamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Pat MartinWinnipeg Centre, MB
Tony MartinSault Ste. Marie, ON
Brian MasseWindsor West, ON
Irene MathyssenLondon—Fanshawe, ON
Alexa McDonoughHalifax, NS
Peggy NashParkdale-High Park, ON
Penny PriddySurrey North, BC
Denise SavoieVictoria, BC
Bill SiksayBurnaby—Douglas, BC
Peter StofferSackville——Eastern Shore, NS
Judy Wasylycia-LeisWinnipeg North, MB

Independents

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
André ArthurPortneuf—Jacques-Cartier, Quebec
Garth TurnerHalton, ON

Speaker

The Speaker of the House of Commons did not vote.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/07/vote-samesex.html Government motion on same-sex marriage is defeated

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