A day after a motion to reaffirm heterosexual marriage was narrowly defeated, MPs voted in favour of a private member's bill that sought to prevent hate crimes against homosexuals.
NDP MP Svend Robinson introduced Bill C-250 that would include homosexuals to a list of other groups protected by hate crimes legislation.
The House voted 141-110 in favour of the bill, giving Mr. Robinson an important victory in the fight for gay rights in Canada.
Mr. Robinson, who is an openly gay MP from Vancouver, says the bill is necessary.
"Current hate propaganda laws protect against hate propaganda based on race, colour, religion or ethnic origin and ultimately what we've heard from police ... is that the largest group that is actually targeted for violent hate crimes, certainly in the Lower Mainland and in many other areas of Canada are gay and lesbian people," Mr. Robinson said in an interview with CBC Newsworld on Wednesday morning.
"What my bill would do is to recognize that just as we say it's wrong to promote hatred or violence against racial or religious or ethnic minorities, so too, should we say it's just as wrong to promote that hatred or violence directed at gay or lesbian people."
Mr. Robinson says he is especially concerned about recent crimes directed at homosexual people.
Two years ago, a man named Aaron Webster was murdered in Vancouver's Stanley Park in what police called a hate crime, and the NDP MP says this is the kind of atrocious act he wants to see prevented.
"We have to ask ourselves what kind of signal [is the current hate crimes law] sending out, when it's silent," he said.
The bill is sure to cause some controversy in the House of Commons on a week where same-sex issues have been front and centre.
Tuesday's Canadian Alliance motion that asked members to reaffirm that reaffirm that marriage should remain a union between a man and a woman was narrowly defeated by only five votes, 137 to 132.
More than 50 Liberal backbenchers were among those who voted in favour of the Alliance motion.
But Mr. Robinson said he's proud of the fact that some of the MPs who voted Tuesday in favour of the Canadian Alliance are voting in favour of his private members bill, such as Progressive Conservative Leader Peter MacKay.
The Tory Leader told reporters that he supports Mr. Robinson's bill because it is a modernization of laws that have not changed in 100 years.
Although the Alliance has already indicated it will vote against the bill, it will have the support of the NDP, and some members of other opposition parties.
It's unclear how many Liberals will vote in favour of the bill, but Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said during Question Period that he supports the bill."It's consistent with the government's position and policies...at the same time, protecting religious beliefs," he said.
Mr. Robinson hopes that a small minority of Liberal backbenchers will help tilt the vote in his favour and allow it to pass.
"The Supreme Court of Canada has said that this [a hate crime] has to be a willful and deliberate promotion of feelings that would stir people up to ... beat people up. I can't imagine why any member of Parliament would say that it's wrong to include gay and lesbian people in that," he said.
The bill also has unanimous support from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and provincial Attorneys General, Mr. Robinson said.
One Liberal backbencher, Dan McTeague, told Newsworld that he won't be voting in favour of Mr. Robinson's bill. He said while he is "concerned about hate crimes in general," he believes there is already adequate protection for homosexuals within the current laws.
Private member's bills have a history of being rare to pass in the House of Commons.
Meanwhile, religious groups argue that Bill C-250 could designate the Bible as hate literature because of scriptures that condemn homosexuality.
A vote on the bill is expected to take place at approximately 5:30 p.m. EDT.
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