Liberal leadership hopeful Paul Martin is greeted by supporters during a pub night at Club One on Tuesday in St. John's. (Keith Gosse/CP)
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OTTAWA — Paul Martin should show some leadership and persuade his back-bench supporters who are undermining the government's bill to legalize same-sex marriages to change their minds, Heritage Minister Sheila Copps said yesterday.
She issued her challenge as the federal cabinet rejected calls from back-bench MPs for the government to water down its same-sex-marriage legislation by creating non-marriage civil unions for gays and lesbians.
While Mr. Martin has expressed support for same-sex marriages, Ms. Copps, his only remaining rival for the Liberal Party leadership, called on him to "show some leadership" by trying to win approval for the bill from a group of his staunch followers who oppose same-sex marriage.
"I would encourage my opponent in the leadership race to show some leadership and get out there and speak to some of his colleagues who consistently have tried to undermine several pieces of government legislation, from election financing to this bill," she said.
"And I encourage him to show some leadership and talk to the caucus members with whom he's been working very closely in his own [party leadership] bid."
Mr. Martin's spokesman, Scott Reid, said Ms. Copps's comments indicate she does not believe MPs can think for themselves. He said that Mr. Martin has supporters on both sides of the same-sex-marriage debate, and although he backs same-sex marriage, he "is not going to impose his personal view.
"It is no one's responsibility to force others to share their point of view. There are some politics going on here."
The Liberal caucus is deeply divided on the issue, and several MPs have called for the government to water down its bill and to create some kind of non-marriage "civil union" for gays and lesbians.
But the cabinet sharply rejected that yesterday. An impassioned Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said establishing civil unions for gays and lesbians while heterosexuals can marry legally is discriminatory.
Sources said Mr. Chrétien also made it clear to the cabinet behind closed doors that the idea of civil unions is as unpalatable.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister, Jim Munson, said that the government also has no plans to change its reference to the Supreme Court, which asks for a ruling on the constitutionality of its proposed bill.
However, sources said the government has not completely ruled out the possibility of broadening the reference to the court by asking whether the notion of a civil union would be constitutionally acceptable. Government officials believe the court will rule against civil unions, but had suggested that such a ruling would persuade backbenchers there is no compromise solution.
