Toronto council backs fight against Quebec’s Bill 21, calling it ‘contrary to the values of Torontonians and Canadians’
This post has been updated.
The Progressive Conservative majority on Toronto City Council has voted down a motion to vote to stop a new bill that would expand the ban on same-sex marriage in Quebec.
The vote does not stop the bill from moving forward, but it will delay its arrival by a month. It still has the potential to pass as-is if it is supported by the required two-thirds majority in a vote on Friday when city council resumes its business.
This morning, Tory leader John Tory said he thought the motion was “just about” the “bad optics,” but it will be considered for the rest of the year.
Meanwhile, Toronto city staff are preparing to present a report to council on how and whether the province can legally ban same-sex marriage without also banning civil unions in Ontario.
Earlier:
Toronto City Council voted against a motion on Friday afternoon to refer a newly introduced bill to the committee that would ban gay marriage in Quebec.
The motion on its own was a non-starter for mayor John Tory, who has insisted the legislation passed by the provincial legislature this summer was “contrary to the values of Torontonians and Canadians.”
The legislation was introduced to the legislature on Thursday after a court overturned the previous government’s ban on same-sex marriage.
Under the bill, the government would have to introduce legislation prohibiting same-sex marriage in the province if it wants to allow that option in Ontario. If that bill passes, then the city’s motion could effectively be killing that option in Toronto.
Tory, speaking at council’s meeting last night, said he supported the idea of recognizing gay marriage in the province, but said the legislation passed this summer “was contrary to the values of Torontonians.”
“Under the Canadian model of marriage, the union is between a man and a woman,” Tory said. “And that’s the marriage that I believe we should be promoting.
“I think the government must think about the economic implications and the challenges that they’re introducing into our society when they say ‘Well, gay