Ontario minister "replaced" for refusing to perform gay marriages...

[mikey3000]

A Cambridge, Ontario minister has lost her job for refusing to perform same sex civil marriage ceremonies at City hall.

TheRecord - Cambridge City Hall

Thoughts? I applaud the move. It shows how serious Canada takes it's Charter of Rights And Freedoms.

Yay Cambridge!!!

 

[Zaphod]

Perhaps i am missing something here, being an American, but why is a minister performing civil marriages at all? Isn't there some Canadian magistrate or something who can do it as a civil official?

 

[gsdx]

Perhaps i am missing something here, being an American, but why is a minister performing civil marriages at all? Isn't there some Canadian magistrate or something who can do it as a civil official?

Civic ceremonies are generally done by a JP (Justice of the Peace). Cambridge seems to be an exception.

From the article:

Brown initially got ordained in the Church of Christ just to serve Cambridge, where her mom was living and where no city hall marriages were available.

Now, she is deemed unacceptable for the position she created.

Still, the same-sex marriage law states that officials MUST perform civil marriages though City Hall. Church same-sex ceremonies are voluntary. They are not forced to perform the ceremony.

As an official for the City of Cambridge, she is obliged to perform the ceremony. She refuses to do her job, so she was fired. She was not hired to break the law.

 

[Callum]

I definitely disagree with cities enforcing religious institutions to perform civil marriages (or duties in general). If she wants to be a bigoted cunt, she should be allowed to.

A civil servant such as a lawyer needs to be appointed to these positions. Or at least be around to perform them. Shame on Cambridge (which is a shit hole anyway, so whatever).

 

[gsdx]

I definitely disagree with cities enforcing religious institutions to perform civil marriages (or duties in general).

She would be under no obligation to perform the ceremony in her church. She could refuse with no questions asked. As a civil servant, however, which is her capacity at City Hall, it is her sworn duty to perform the ceremony. That's the job she signed up for. She can't be selective in who she marries.

 

[Callum]

She would be under no obligation to perform the ceremony in her church. She could refuse with no questions asked. As a civil servant, however, which is her capacity at City Hall, it is her sworn duty to perform the ceremony. That's the job she signed up for. She can't be selective in who she marries.

Signed up for? She created the position. Not 'signed up for'. If she doesn't want to do it, she shouldn't have to considering there are two people on the payroll to do it.

A JP should be doing this with no religious affiliation involved. It's the city's own stupidity for having a representative of a religious institution perform it on their behalf anyway.

 

[star-warrior]

You have a local government employee who is breaking the law. I think it is perfectly legitimate to sack her and hand the job to someone more capable. If you had an atheist in the office who refused to marry people from religious backgrounds, would that be acceptable? No.

If it was a religious as opposed to a civil ceremony, then yeah, To the Romans what's due.

 

[rareboy]

Signed up for? She created the position. Not 'signed up for'. If she doesn't want to do it, she shouldn't have to considering there are two people on the payroll to do it.

A JP should be doing this with no religious affiliation involved. It's the city's own stupidity for having a representative of a religious institution perform it on their behalf anyway.

No she didn't 'create' it. She may have led the initiative to provide the service, but it was the Municipality that created the position.

As such, whoever is providing this service on behalf of the municipality is a municipal employee, and under the law of the land, must provide it to same sex couples as well as hetero couples.

It is a clear demonstration though of why you don't want religion involved with the workings of City Hall.

It should be done by a City clerk with the powers of a Justice of the Peace.

 

[mikey3000]

Clearly it was a case of discrimination. She was fired and rightly so. There was no JP availiable to perform civil marriages because there is an accute shortage of JP's due to rampant criminal activity all over southern Ontario.

And she became a minister for the express purpose of performing marriages in Cambridge, easier than becomming a JP, but still obvious that she had no previous deep religious convictions, thus her refusal to perform same sex marriages was strictly personal and discriminatory. Clearly grounds for dismissal.