Saskatchewan, Canada Court Says Marriage Commissioner Discriminated in Gay Marriage Casa

The province will still seek a legal opinion on proposed legislation allowing marriage commissioners to refuse to perform same-sex marriages for religious reasons, despite a court ruling censuring such denials. A Court of Queen’s Bench ruling, publicly released Thursday, upheld a decision by a human rights tribunal that found Regina marriage commissioner Orville Nichols had discriminated against a same-sex couple by declining to marry them. Justice Minister Don Morgan said the decision hasn’t altered plans to ask the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal to rule on the constitutionality of a law that would exempt marriage commissioners from performing same-sex marriages for religious reasons. The court will consider two versions of proposed legislation — one with an exemption for those who were commissioners when gay marriage was legalized in 2004 and the other giving an exemption to all commissioners. No date for that hearing has been set. Full Story from The Star Phoenix

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