TORONTO--Stephen Harper, crossing the church and state boundary, has addressed "Faith Community Leaders" in Canada soliciting their support in opposing the extending of equal marriage rights to all Canadians and sending them packets which include petitions to be used for this purpose.

Both individual Unitarian congregations and the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) were startled to receive such packets. Both the CUC and individual congregations have been vocal in support of sexual minorities rights in general, and specifically equal marriage rights. The CUC made a presentation to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, and has made numerous statements since then. Unitarians see the overarching Biblical message of justice flowing down like water as more relevant than a few selected verses.

All Unitarian and Universalist ministers serving in Canada have publicly stated they are willing and ready to perform same-sex marriages. Many of our clergy have performed such marriages in both British Columbia and Ontario, often of couples who have had holy union ceremonies earlier. Unitarian ministers and lay chaplains report that these have been some of the most moving ceremonies they have ever performed.

Unitarians in Canada will continue to support the proposed legislation which explicitly guarantees the right of ministers not to perform ceremonies of which they do not approve. Harper's proposal would deny Unitarian ministers the right to perform ceremonies of which they do approve, and thus reduce religious freedom for Unitarians.

It was erroneously and widely reported by the media that the reading of banns for gay couples at an MCC church in Toronto was the first time this has occurred in Canada. Unitarian minister The Rev. Norm Naylor read the banns for Chris Vogel and Richard North in the First Unitarian Church of Winnipeg in 1974. Chris and Richard continue to seek legal recognition of their now lengthy union.

The Canadian Unitarian Council/Conseil unitarien du Canada (CUC), is an association of forty-four congregations located across Canada with 5,200 individual members. Arising out of the work of outspoken reformers and dissenters within the Christian tradition five centuries ago, the Unitarian movement today includes Universalists and flows in a broad religious stream augmented by Humanist, earth-centred, Buddhist and other progressive beliefs.

for more information contact:

Elizabeth Bowen, President, Board of Trustees, 613-236-4504 elizabeth@cuc.ca

Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed, Past-President, Board of Trustees, 416-656-8745 mark@cuc.ca

Rev. Dr. Steven Epperson, Minister, Unitarian Church of Vancouver, 604-261-7204 epperson@look.ca