The opposition in the Canadian Parliament renewed its attack on homosexual marriage on Thursday with the introduction of legislation to cement a heterosexual-only definition of matrimony while allowing provinces to provide for same-sex civil unions.
The move by the Canadian Alliance comes two days after its motion to reaffirm marriage as solely the union between a man and a woman was narrowly defeated in a deeply divided House of Commons.
The proposed new legislation -- framed by the Alliance as a compromise -- would run contrary to the Liberal government's plans to legalize same-sex marriage, but the Alliance believes the bill could succeed, given that more than 50 Liberals voted in support of their motion on Tuesday.
"Based on that vote, my conclusion is the Liberals do not have a majority to redefine marriage in this country," Alliance leader Stephen Harper said.
The issue has been a political hot potato since June, when an Ontario court overthrew the heterosexual-only definition of marriage as unconstitutional. Ottawa decided not to appeal the ruling and another by a British Columbia court, and drafted a bill allowing gay marriages across the country.
Meanwhile the US denied entry to Canada's first legally married gay couple because they had filled out a single customs form as a family, Canada's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
A US customs official at Toronto Pearson International Airport denied entry to Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell, CBC television said. They are the couple whose case led an Ontario court to recognize gay marriage in June.
The customs agent denied them entry as a family because the US does not recognize same-sex marriage. The US allows all members of a family to use the same form.
The two men refused to fill out separate forms and canceled their trip to Braselton, Georgia, where they were due to participate in a human rights conference.
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