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

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.Government motion on same-sex marriage is defeated. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 7 December 2006. 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 Backbench917199Liberal 13853101047451NDP029029Independents0112Totals1231759307House 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

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 people, 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 Name 2003 Alliance motion Bill C-38 (2005) Dec 2006 motion to restore Riding Rona Ambrose Edmonton—Spruce Grove, AB John Baird Ottawa West—Nepean, ON Maxime Bernier Beauce, QC Jean-Pierre Blackburn Jonquière—Alma, QC Lawrence Cannon Pontiac, QC Tony Clement Parry Sound-Muskoka, ON Stockwell Day Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC David Emerson Vancouver Kingsway, BC Diane Finley Haldimand—Norfolk, ON Jim Flaherty Whitby-Oshawa, ON Stephen Harper Calgary Southwest, AB Loyola Hearn St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL Gary Lunn Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC Peter MacKay Central Nova, NS Rob Nicholson Niagara Falls, ON Gordon O'Connor Carleton—Mississippi Mills, ON Bev Oda Durham, ON Jim Prentice Calgary Centre-North, AB Carol Skelton Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK Monte Solberg Medicine Hat, AB Chuck Strahl Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon, BC Greg Thompson New Brunswick Southwest, NB Vic Toews Provencher, MB Peter Van Loan York—Simcoe, ON Josée Verner Louis-St-Laurent, QC

Conservative backbench Name 2003 Alliance motion Bill C-38 (2005) Dec 2006 motion to restore Riding Jim Abbott Kootenay—Columbia, BC Diane Ablonczy Calgary—Nose Hill, AB Harold Albrecht Kitchener—Conestoga, ON Michael Allen Tobique—Mactaquac, NB Dean Allison Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON Rob Anders Calgary West, AB David L. Anderson Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK Dave Batters Palliser, SK Leon Benoit Vegreville—Wainwright, AB James Bezan Selkirk—Interlake, MB Steven Blaney Lévis—Bellechasse, QC Sylvie Boucher Beauport—Limoilou, QC Garry Breitkreuz Yorkton—Melville, SK Gord Brown Leeds—Grenville, ON Patrick Brown Barrie, ON Rod Bruinooge Winnipeg South, MB Blaine Calkins Wetaskiwin, AB Ron Cannan Kelowna—Lake Country, BC Colin Carrie Oshawa, ON Bill Casey Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS Rick Casson Lethbridge, AB Michael Chong Wellington—Halton Hills, ON John Cummins Delta—Richmond East, BC Pat Davidson Sarnia—Lambton, ON Dean Del Mastro Peterborough, ON Barry Devolin Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON Norman Doyle St. John's East, NL Rick Dykstra St. Catharines, ON Ken Epp Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB Edward Fast Abbotsford, BC Brian Fitzpatrick Prince Albert, SK Steven Fletcher Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB Royal Galipeau Ottawa—Orléans, ON Cheryl Gallant Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON Peter Goldring Edmonton East, AB Gary Goodyear Cambridge, ON Jacques Gourde Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC Nina Grewal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC Helena Guergis Simcoe—Grey, ON Art Hanger Calgary Northeast, AB Richard Harris Cariboo—Prince George, BC Luc Harvey Louis-Hébert, QC Laurie Hawn Edmonton Centre, AB Russ Hiebert South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC Jay Hill Prince George—Peace River, BC Betty Hinton Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC Rahim Jaffer Edmonton—Strathcona, AB Brian Jean Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB Randy Kamp Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC Gerald Keddy South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS Jason Kenney Calgary Southeast, AB Ed Komarnicki Souris—Moose Mountain, SK Daryl Kramp Prince Edward—Hastings, ON Michael Lake Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB Guy Lauzon Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON Pierre Lemieux Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON Tom Lukiwski Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK James Lunney Nanaimo—Alberni, BC Dave MacKenzie Oxford, ON Fabian Manning Avalon, NL Inky Mark Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB Colin Mayes Okanagan—Shuswap, BC Ted Menzies Macleod, AB Rob Merrifield Yellowhead, AB Larry Miller Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON Bob Mills Red Deer, AB James Moore Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC Rob Moore Fundy Royal, NB Rick Norlock Northumberland—Quinte West, ON Deepak Obhrai Calgary East, AB Brian Pallister Portage—Lisgar, MB Christian Paradis Mégantic—L'Érable, QC Daniel Petit Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC Pierre Poilievre Nepean—Carleton, ON Joe Preston Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON James Rajotte Edmonton—Leduc, AB Scott Reid Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON Lee Richardson Calgary Centre, AB Gerry Ritz Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK Andrew Scheer Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK Gary Schellenberger Perth Wellington, ON Bev Shipley Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON Joy Smith Kildonan—St. Paul, MB Kevin Sorenson Crowfoot, AB Bruce Stanton Simcoe North, ON Brian Storseth Westlock—St. Paul, AB David Sweet Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON Myron Thompson Wild Rose, AB David Tilson Dufferin—Caledon, ON Bradley Trost Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK Merv Tweed Brandon—Souris, MB Dave Van Kesteren Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON Maurice Vellacott Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK Mike Wallace Burlington, ON Mark Warawa Langley, BC Chris Warkentin Peace River, AB Jeff Watson Essex, ON John G. Williams Edmonton—St. Albert, AB Lynne Yelich Blackstrap, SK

Liberal Party Name 2003 Alliance motion Bill C-38 (2005) Dec 2006 motion to restore Riding Omar Alghabra Mississauga—Erindale, ON Larry Bagnell Yukon, YT Navdeep Bains Mississauga—Brampton South, ON Sue Barnes London West, ON Colleen Beaumier Brampton West, ON Mauril Bélanger Ottawa—Vanier, ON Don Bell North Vancouver, BC Carolyn Bennett St. Paul's, ON Maurizio Bevilacqua Vaughan, ON Ray Bonin Nickel Belt, ON Ken Boshcoff Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON Scott Brison Kings—Hants, NS Bonnie Brown Oakville, ON Gerry Byrne Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL John Cannis Scarborough Centre, ON Brenda Chamberlain Guelph, ON Raymond Chan Richmond, BC Denis Coderre Bourassa, QC Joe Comuzzi Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON Irwin Cotler Mount Royal, QC Roy Cullen Paired Etobicoke North, ON Rodger Cuzner Cape Breton—Canso, NS Jean-Claude D'Amours Madawaska—Restigouche, NB Ruby Dhalla Brampton—Springdale, ON Sukh Dhaliwal Newton—North Delta, BC Stéphane Dion Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC Ujjal Dosanjh Vancouver South, BC Ken Dryden York Centre, ON Wayne Easter Malpeque, PE Mark Eyking Sydney—Victoria, NS Raymonde Folco Laval—Les Îles, QC Hedy Fry Vancouver Centre, BC John Godfrey Don Valley West, ON Ralph Goodale Wascana, SK Bill Graham Toronto Centre, ON Albina Guarnieri Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON Mark Holland Ajax—Pickering, ON Charles Hubbard Miramichi, NB Michael Ignatieff Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON Marlene Jennings Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC Susan Kadis Thornhill, ON Nancy Karetak-Lindell Nunavut, NU Jim Karygiannis Scarborough—Agincourt, ON Tina Keeper Churchill, MB Wajid Khan Mississauga—Streetsville, ON Jean Lapierre Outremont, QC Dominic LeBlanc Beauséjour, NB Derek Lee Scarborough—Rouge River, ON Lawrence MacAulay Cardigan, PE Gurbax Malhi Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON John Maloney Welland, ON Diane Marleau Sudbury, ON Keith Martin Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC Paul Martin LaSalle—Émard, QC Bill Matthews Random—Burin—St. George's, NL John McCallum Markham—Unionville, ON David McGuinty Ottawa South, ON Joe McGuire Egmont, PE John McKay Scarborough-Guildwood, ON Dan McTeague Pickering—Scarborough East, ON Gary Merasty Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK Maria Minna Beaches—East York, ON Brian Murphy Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB Shawn Murphy Charlottetown, PE Anita Neville Winnipeg South Centre, MB Stephen Owen Vancouver Quadra, BC Massimo Pacetti Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC Bernard Patry Paired Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC Glen Pearson London North Centre, ON Jim Peterson Willowdale, ON Marcel Proulx Hull—Aylmer, QC Yasmin Ratansi Don Valley East, ON Karen Redman Kitchener Centre, ON Geoff Regan Halifax West, NS Lucienne Robillard Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC Pablo Rodriguez Honoré—Mercier, QC Anthony Rota Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON Todd Russell Labrador, NL Michael Savage Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS Francis Scarpaleggia Lac-Saint-Louis, QC Andy Scott Fredericton, NB Judy Sgro York West, ON Mario Silva Davenport, ON Raymond Simard Saint Boniface, MB Scott Simms Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL Lloyd St. Amand Brant, ON Brent St. Denis Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON Paul Steckle Huron—Bruce, ON Belinda Stronach Newmarket—Aurora, ON Paul Szabo Mississauga South, ON Andrew Telegdi Kitchener—Waterloo, ON Lui Temelkovski Oak Ridges—Markham, ON Robert G. Thibault West Nova, NS Alan Tonks York South—Weston, ON Roger Valley Kenora, ON Joe Volpe Eglinton—Lawrence, ON Tom Wappel Scarborough Southwest, ON Blair Wilson West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC Bryon Wilfert Richmond Hill, ON Borys Wrzesnewskyj Etobicoke Centre, ON Paul Zed Saint John, NB

Bloc Québécois