| Same-Sex Marriage Makes Canada a Hot Tourist Spot |
By Maxi - |
Published
01/24/2007
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Travel , News Articles
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Rating: 
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Canada + Gay Marriage = Good for Tourism?
Article originally appeared in EdgeBoston.com, 21 Jan 2007
People from other countries are coming to Canada to
get same-sex marriages in droves, according to a recent report. "More
than half of [the] recorded gay weddings involved couples from abroad,"
Canoe.ca said.
The report, from Statistics Canada, compiled
info from 2003 weddings. In that year, Canada was the only country
allowing non-residents to have same-sex marriages.
The report
discovered that 3.5% of the marriages in British Columbia were
same-sex. More than half of those involved foreigners to Canada.
"Gay
and lesbian couples have been coming to Canada since the laws changed
in 2003, especially to the big cities," Kaj Hasselriis, executive
director of Egale Canada told Canoe. "It’s a positive thing for couples
who want to be legally married, and it’s a positive thing for Canada
because it enhances our reputation as a country that is very open and
progressive." Even though the marriage is typically not legal in the foreigners’ home country, it is important to them symbolically,
Hasselriis said.
"Many have used their marriage in Canada to try
to advance their legal fight in their own countries, including Israel
and Ireland," Canoe noted. Hasselriis also told the news service this
is great for the economy in Canada, since the tourism industry is
benefiting.
Howver, at least one person is against it. Brian
Rushfeldt, executive director of the Canadian Family Action Coalition,
told Canoe it is a "misuse of a system" for foreigners to try to change
their country’s laws by getting married in Canada. "To me, it’s
unconscionable," he said. "Why is Canada issuing marriage licences to
people from another country? We wouldn’t issue a business licence to a
company that had no intention of staying in the country."
Same-sex marriage began being legalized in Canada in 2003. It was legalized across the whole country on July 20, 2005.
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