Canadians Forcing Parliament to Rethink Homosexual "Marriage"
OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government may water down or alter its controversial plan to legalize gay marriage, a senior cabinet minister said on Wednesday after a vote showed Parliament was almost evenly split on the issue.
Health Minister Anne McLellan said the fact that Prime Minister Jean Chretien was stepping down next February meant his successor would have a free hand to tackle the issue as he saw fit.
McLellan is a close ally of former Finance Minister Paul Martin, who is almost certain to become the new leader, and she is tipped for a top position in his first cabinet.
"Unless this draft bill is presented to the House (of Commons) and voted on before the change in leadership, I don't think anyone should assume that this draft legislation is the legislation that will ultimately be presented to Parliament," she told reporters.
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