Stolen from the Toronto Star, Friday, June 11, 1993:

"NDP bill to grant more spousal rights to same-sex couples" - Bruce DeMara

The NDP government will introduce a billin the fall giving precedent-setting
rights and benefits to same-sex coples, Attorney-General Marion Boyd says.

"In Canada, we would be the first government to be looking at this kind
of legislation," Boyd told The Star in an exclusive interview last night.

Boyd said she has asked the Ontario Law Reform Commission for "very prompt"
advice on what form the legislation should take.

"We've asked the (commission) to look at family law issues and particularly
same-sex spousal issues for us to give us some advice as to what reforms
are needed."

Boyd also said the NDP government intends to support a private member's
bill introduced earlier this week by Liberal MPP Tim Murphy.

The bill would extend employee benefits to partners in same-sex relationships
to all companies operating in the province and explicitly ban discrimination
in housing and the workplace in the Ontario Human Rights Code.

The government will attempt to push Murphy's bill so the justice committee
can hold hearings on it throughout the summer, Boyd said.

Boyd conceded the issue is "highly emotional" and the committee hearings would
be the good opportunity to being the public debate on the issue.

"The public is obviously not united on this and we all know that.  We believe
very strongly in the need to take all those views into account," Boyd said.

"This is not a difficult issue from our party's point of view.  But because
we know this is a contentious issue, we feel very much...we have to move
very carefully," Boyd said.

The bill by Murphy was blasted by gay & lesbian community activists as far
short of expectations.

---
Tim Murphy was elected in a by-election April 1 by promising to act quickly
on behalf of the gay & lesbian community.  I found out about his proposed
bill when I noticed handbills pasted up all over the gay area of town (in
the centre of his riding) accusing Murphy of selling us out.  I called
his office yesterday to request a copy of the proposed legislation so I can
see for myself.

As to whether we'll see the NDP's legislation or not, I'm not holding
my breath:  it's been promised since the 1990 election by this government.
---
In other news, Canada will have a new Prime Minister before the week-end
is out.  It seems to be a toss-up between Kim Campbell and Jean Charest.
Whoever wins, an election may be called quickly thereafter and thus the
amendments to the federal Human Rights Act may die on the order paper.  These
amendments, promised since 1984 or so, were to add sexual orientation to
the Act, although it would also have explicitly stated that gays & lesbian
relationships can't be recognized as legitimate marriages.  I'll be just
as happy to see the bill die.

BTW, all three big federal parties have explicitly promised in the past
to amend the Human Rights Act to include sexual orientation.
---
Amendments to the Human Rights Code to cover sexual orientation are also
being ushered through Parliament in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Provinces & territories already covered include:  the Yukon Territory,
Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
I believe PEI also has such legislation in place, but I'm not certain.
This will leave only Alberta, the North-West Territories and Nunavut out
in the cold, so to speak.


If anyone has more current information, please post it.


Brian
-- 

Brian A. Jarvis,          Rm. 4026, Sidney Smith Hall, Dept. of Psychology,
jarvis@psych.toronto.edu  University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
System Administrator      M5S 1A1  (416) 978-3948