Angry in the Great White North

What reservations?

Mr. Klein said if an Alberta marriage commissioner doesn't want to perform a marriage, however, he or she would not be forced to.

“We will develop legislative options to ensure the rights of religious officials and those Albertans, who hold social or cultural beliefs or values, whether religious or non-religious, will be free to express opposition to the traditional definition of marriage or a change to the traditional definition of marriage and will not be required to advocate, promote, or teach about marriage in a way that conflicts with their beliefs.”

This is significant. A basic legal principle is that a law that is not enforced is no law at all. By essentially making the enforcement of the civil marriage legislation optional, the province is saying it is not really a law.

What does the future hold? Well, expect some law suits directly challenging the law protecting marriage commissioners.

Boring! No TV coverage for that.

Here's what I think is going to happen. Never satisfied until everyone agrees with them, and unhappy that those who are going unpunished for having doubleplusungood thoughts and opinions, gay activists will identify a small community in Alberta with only one marriage commissioner who is known to refuse to officiate over a same sex marriage (based on statements, not that anyone has ever asked him to), and who is supported by the community's tiny rural population of traditionalists. Expect a busload of gay couples, licenses in hand, to descend on the community, demanding to have the commissioner to perform the marriages, arguing that requiring them to find another commissioner somewhere else in Alberta, or in another province, is unconstitutional.

"Marry us or lose your job!"

"Agree with us or suffer the consequences!"

"Freedom of thought! And here's the list of what thoughts are free, and which ones will cost you!"

Premier Ralph Klein has drawn a line in the sand. Now let's see how effective those protections included in C-38 for religious freedom are. Justice Minister Irwin Cotler admitted they weren't worth the paper they were written on, not that he cared. I'm guessing he's right.