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

Last updated

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.

Contents

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

GroupForAgainstAbsentTotal
  Conservative Cabinet 196025
  Conservative Backbench 917199
  Liberal 13853101
Bloc Québécois 047451
  NDP 029029
 Independents0112
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

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

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
Rona Ambrose NoYes Edmonton—Spruce Grove, AB
John Baird No Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Maxime Bernier Yes Beauce, QC
Jean-Pierre Blackburn Yes Jonquière—Alma, QC
Lawrence Cannon No Pontiac, QC
Tony Clement Yes Parry Sound-Muskoka, ON
Stockwell Day YesNoYes Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC
David Emerson YesNo Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Diane Finley NoYes Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Jim Flaherty Yes Whitby-Oshawa, ON
Stephen Harper YesNoYes Calgary Southwest, AB
Loyola Hearn AbsentNoYes St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Gary Lunn YesNoYes Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Peter MacKay YesNoNo Central Nova, NS
Rob Nicholson NoYes Niagara Falls, ON
Gordon O'Connor NoYes Carleton—Mississippi Mills, ON
Bev Oda NoYes Durham, ON
Jim Prentice YesNo Calgary Centre-North, AB
Carol Skelton YesNoYes Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
Monte Solberg YesNoYes Medicine Hat, AB
Chuck Strahl YesNoYes Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon, BC
Greg Thompson YesNoYes New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Vic Toews YesNoYes Provencher, MB
Peter Van Loan NoYes York—Simcoe, ON
Josée Verner No Louis-St-Laurent, QC

Conservative backbench

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
Jim Abbott YesNoYes Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Diane Ablonczy YesNoYes Calgary—Nose Hill, AB
Harold Albrecht Yes Kitchener—Conestoga, ON
Michael Allen Yes Tobique—Mactaquac, NB
Dean Allison NoYes Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON
Rob Anders YesNoYes Calgary West, AB
David L. Anderson YesNoYes Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Dave Batters NoYes Palliser, SK
Leon Benoit YesNoYes Vegreville—Wainwright, AB
James Bezan NoYes Selkirk—Interlake, MB
Steven Blaney Yes Lévis—Bellechasse, QC
Sylvie Boucher Yes Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Garry Breitkreuz YesNoYes Yorkton—Melville, SK
Gord Brown NoYes Leeds—Grenville, ON
Patrick Brown Yes Barrie, ON
Rod Bruinooge Yes Winnipeg South, MB
Blaine Calkins Yes Wetaskiwin, AB
Ron Cannan Yes Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Colin Carrie NoYes Oshawa, ON
Bill Casey YesNoNo Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS
Rick Casson YesNoYes Lethbridge, AB
Michael Chong NoNo Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
John Cummins YesNoYes Delta—Richmond East, BC
Pat Davidson Yes Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Dean Del Mastro Yes Peterborough, ON
Barry Devolin NoYes Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
Norman Doyle YesNoYes St. John's East, NL
Rick Dykstra Yes St. Catharines, ON
Ken Epp YesNoYes Edmonton—Sherwood Park, AB
Edward Fast Yes Abbotsford, BC
Brian Fitzpatrick YesNoYes Prince Albert, SK
Steven Fletcher NoYes Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, MB
Royal Galipeau Absent Ottawa—Orléans, ON
Cheryl Gallant YesNoYes Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Peter Goldring YesNoYes Edmonton East, AB
Gary Goodyear NoYes Cambridge, ON
Jacques Gourde Yes Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Nina Grewal NoYes Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Helena Guergis NoYes Simcoe—Grey, ON
Art Hanger YesNoYes Calgary Northeast, AB
Richard Harris YesNoYes Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Luc Harvey Yes Louis-Hébert, QC
Laurie Hawn Yes Edmonton Centre, AB
Russ Hiebert NoYes South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
Jay Hill YesNoYes Prince George—Peace River, BC
Betty Hinton YesNoYes Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
Rahim Jaffer YesNoYes Edmonton—Strathcona, AB
Brian Jean NoYes Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Randy Kamp NoYes Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC
Gerald Keddy YesYesNo South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS
Jason Kenney YesNoYes Calgary Southeast, AB
Ed Komarnicki NoYes Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Daryl Kramp NoYes Prince Edward—Hastings, ON
Michael Lake Yes Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Guy Lauzon NoYes Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Pierre Lemieux Yes Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Tom Lukiwski NoYes Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
James Lunney YesNoYes Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Dave MacKenzie NoYes Oxford, ON
Fabian Manning No Avalon, NL
Inky Mark YesNoYes Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB
Colin Mayes Yes Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Ted Menzies NoYes Macleod, AB
Rob Merrifield YesNoYes Yellowhead, AB
Larry Miller NoYes Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Bob Mills YesNoYes Red Deer, AB
James Moore YesYesNo Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Rob Moore NoYes Fundy Royal, NB
Rick Norlock Yes Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
Deepak Obhrai YesNoYes Calgary East, AB
Brian Pallister YesNoYes Portage—Lisgar, MB
Christian Paradis No Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Daniel Petit Yes Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Pierre Poilievre NoYes Nepean—Carleton, ON
Joe Preston NoYes Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
James Rajotte YesNoYes Edmonton—Leduc, AB
Scott Reid YesNoYes Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Lee Richardson NoNo Calgary Centre, AB
Gerry Ritz YesNoYes Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Andrew Scheer NoYes Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK
Gary Schellenberger YesNoYes Perth Wellington, ON
Bev Shipley Yes Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
Joy Smith NoYes Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Kevin Sorenson YesNoYes Crowfoot, AB
Bruce Stanton Yes Simcoe North, ON
Brian Storseth Yes Westlock—St. Paul, AB
David Sweet Yes Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON
Myron Thompson YesNoYes Wild Rose, AB
David Tilson NoYes Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Bradley Trost NoYes Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK
Merv Tweed NoYes Brandon—Souris, MB
Dave Van Kesteren Yes Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON
Maurice Vellacott YesNoYes Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Mike Wallace Yes Burlington, ON
Mark Warawa NoYes Langley, BC
Chris Warkentin Yes Peace River, AB
Jeff Watson NoYes Essex, ON
John G. Williams YesNoYes Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
Lynne Yelich YesNoYes Blackstrap, SK

Liberal Party

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
Omar Alghabra No Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Larry Bagnell NoYesNo Yukon, YT
Navdeep Bains YesNo Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Sue Barnes NoYesAbsent London West, ON
Colleen Beaumier NoYesNo Brampton West, ON
Mauril Bélanger NoYesNo Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Don Bell YesNo North Vancouver, BC
Carolyn Bennett NoYesNo St. Paul's, ON
Maurizio Bevilacqua NoYesNo Vaughan, ON
Ray Bonin YesNoYes Nickel Belt, ON
Ken Boshcoff NoNo Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Scott Brison NoYesNo Kings—Hants, NS
Bonnie Brown NoYesNo Oakville, ON
Gerry Byrne NoAbsentYes Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
John Cannis YesNoAbsent Scarborough Centre, ON
Brenda Chamberlain YesNoNo Guelph, ON
Raymond Chan YesNo Richmond, BC
Denis Coderre NoYesNo Bourassa, QC
Joe Comuzzi AbsentNoNo Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Irwin Cotler AbsentYesNo Mount Royal, QC
Roy Cullen NoPairedYes Etobicoke North, ON
Rodger Cuzner NoNoNo Cape Breton—Canso, NS
Jean-Claude D'Amours YesNo Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Ruby Dhalla YesNo Brampton—Springdale, ON
Sukh Dhaliwal No Newton—North Delta, BC
Stéphane Dion NoYesNo Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Ujjal Dosanjh YesNo Vancouver South, BC
Ken Dryden YesNo York Centre, ON
Wayne Easter NoYesNo Malpeque, PE
Mark Eyking YesYesNo Sydney—Victoria, NS
Raymonde Folco NoYesAbsent Laval—Les Îles, QC
Hedy Fry NoYesNo Vancouver Centre, BC
John Godfrey NoYesNo Don Valley West, ON
Ralph Goodale NoYesNo Wascana, SK
Bill Graham NoYesNo Toronto Centre, ON
Albina Guarnieri YesYesNo Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
Mark Holland YesNo Ajax—Pickering, ON
Charles Hubbard YesNoNo Miramichi, NB
Michael Ignatieff No Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
Marlene Jennings NoYesNo Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Susan Kadis YesNo Thornhill, ON
Nancy Karetak-Lindell NoYesNo Nunavut, NU
Jim Karygiannis YesNoYes Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Tina Keeper No Churchill, MB
Wajid Khan NoYes Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Jean Lapierre YesNo Outremont, QC
Dominic LeBlanc NoYesNo Beauséjour, NB
Derek Lee YesNoYes Scarborough—Rouge River, ON
Lawrence MacAulay AbsentNoNo Cardigan, PE
Gurbax Malhi YesNoYes Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON
John Maloney YesNoNo Welland, ON
Diane Marleau NoYesNo Sudbury, ON
Keith Martin YesYesNo Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Paul Martin NoYesNo LaSalle—Émard, QC
Bill Matthews AbsentNoNo Random—Burin—St. George's, NL
John McCallum NoYesNo Markham—Unionville, ON
David McGuinty YesNo Ottawa South, ON
Joe McGuire YesYesNo Egmont, PE
John McKay YesNoYes Scarborough-Guildwood, ON
Dan McTeague YesNoYes Pickering—Scarborough East, ON
Gary Merasty No Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Maria Minna NoYesNo Beaches—East York, ON
Brian Murphy No Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Shawn Murphy YesYesNo Charlottetown, PE
Anita Neville NoYesNo Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Stephen Owen AbsentYesNo Vancouver Quadra, BC
Massimo Pacetti AbsentNoNo Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Bernard Patry NoPairedNo Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Glen Pearson No London North Centre, ON
Jim Peterson NoYesNo Willowdale, ON
Marcel Proulx NoYesNo Hull—Aylmer, QC
Yasmin Ratansi YesNo Don Valley East, ON
Karen Redman NoYesNo Kitchener Centre, ON
Geoff Regan NoYesNo Halifax West, NS
Lucienne Robillard NoYesNo Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Pablo Rodriguez YesNo Honoré—Mercier, QC
Anthony Rota YesNo Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON
Todd Russell YesNo Labrador, NL
Michael Savage YesNo Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Francis Scarpaleggia NoYes Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Andy Scott NoYesNo Fredericton, NB
Judy Sgro YesYesNo York West, ON
Mario Silva YesNo Davenport, ON
Raymond Simard NoNoNo Saint Boniface, MB
Scott Simms NoNo Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Lloyd St. Amand YesNo Brant, ON
Brent St. Denis NoYesNo Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Paul Steckle YesNoYes Huron—Bruce, ON
Belinda Stronach YesNo Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Paul Szabo YesNoNo Mississauga South, ON
Andrew Telegdi NoYesNo Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Lui Temelkovski YesNo Oak Ridges—Markham, ON
Robert G. Thibault NoYesNo West Nova, NS
Alan Tonks YesNoYes York South—Weston, ON
Roger Valley YesNo Kenora, ON
Joe Volpe YesYesNo Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Tom Wappel YesNoYes Scarborough Southwest, ON
Blair Wilson No West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
Bryon Wilfert YesNoNo Richmond Hill, ON
Borys Wrzesnewskyj YesNo Etobicoke Centre, ON
Paul Zed NoNo Saint 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 André YesNo Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Gérard Asselin YesAbsentNo Manicouagan, QC
Claude Bachand NoYesNo Saint-Jean QC
Vivian Barbot No Papineau, QC
André Bellavance YesNo Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Bernard Bigras NoYesNo Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Raynald Blais YesNo Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
France Bonsant YesNo Compton—Stanstead, QC
Robert Bouchard NoNo Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Diane Bourgeois NoYesNo Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
Paule Brunelle YesNo Trois-Rivières, QC
Serge Cardin AbsentNoAbsent Sherbrooke, QC
Robert Carrier YesNo Alfred-Pellan, QC
Paul Crête NoYesNo Montmagny—L'Islet— Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Claude Debellefeuille No Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Nicole Demers YesNo Laval, QC
Johanne Deschamps YesNo Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Gilles Duceppe NoYesNo Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Meili Faille YesNo Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Carole Freeman No Châteauguay, QC
Christiane Gagnon NoYesNo Québec, QC
Roger Gaudet YesNoNo Montcalm, QC
Michel Gauthier NoYesNo Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Raymond Gravel Absent Repentigny, QC
Monique Guay NoYesNo Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Michel Guimond NoYesNo Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Maka Kotto AbsentNo Saint-Lambert, QC
Jean-Yves Laforest No Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
Mario Laframboise AbsentYesNo Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Francine Lalonde NoYesNo Mercier, QC
Carole Lavallée YesNo Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Marc Lemay YesNo Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Yves Lessard YesNo Chambly—Borduas, QC
Yvon Lévesque YesNo Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Yvan Loubier NoYesAbsent (Paired) Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Marcel Lussier No Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Luc Malo No Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Réal Ménard NoYesNo Hochelaga, QC
Serge Ménard YesNo Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Maria Mourani No Ahuntsic, QC
Richard Nadeau No Gatineau, QC
Christian Ouellet No Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Pierre Paquette NoPairedNo Joliette, QC
Gilles-A. Perron AbsentNoNo Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Pauline Picard NoYesNo Drummond, QC
Louis Plamondon NoYesNo Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC
Jean-Yves Roy NoYesNo Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Thierry St-Cyr No Jeanne-Le Ber, QC
Caroline St-Hilaire NoAbsentNo Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
Louise Thibault NoAbsent (Paired) Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Robert Vincent YesNo Shefford, 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 Angus YesNo Timmins-James Bay, ON
Alex Atamanenko No British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
Catherine J. Bell No Vancouver Island North, BC
Dennis Bevington No Western Arctic
Dawn Black No New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC
Bill Blaikie NoYesNo Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Chris Charlton No Hamilton Mountain, ON
Olivia Chow No Trinity—Spadina, ON
David Christopherson YesNo Hamilton Centre, ON
Joe Comartin NoYesNo Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Jean Crowder YesNo Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC
Nathan Cullen YesNo Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Libby Davies NoYesNo Vancouver East, BC
Paul Dewar No Ottawa Centre, ON
Yvon Godin NoYesNo Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Peter Julian YesNo Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Jack Layton YesNo Toronto—Danforth, ON
Wayne Marston No Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Pat Martin NoYesNo Winnipeg Centre, MB
Tony Martin YesNo Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Brian Masse NoYesNo Windsor West, ON
Irene Mathyssen No London—Fanshawe, ON
Alexa McDonough NoYesNo Halifax, NS
Peggy Nash No Parkdale-High Park, ON
Penny Priddy No Surrey North, BC
Denise Savoie No Victoria, BC
Bill Siksay YesNo Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Peter Stoffer AbsentYesNo Sackville——Eastern Shore, NS
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NoAbsentNo Winnipeg North, MB

Independents

Name2003 Alliance motionBill C-38 (2005)Dec 2006 motion to restoreRiding
André Arthur Absent Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, Quebec
Garth Turner No Halton, ON

Speaker

The Speaker of the House of Commons did not vote.

References