Marriage Equality in Canada

The CBC is reporting that Scott Brison has become the first Member of Parliament (MP) to marry a same-sex partner since gay marriage was legalized in 2005. Mr. Brison is a member of the Liberal Party and is a member of the federal parliament from Nova Scotia.

A number of dignitaries, including Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna and former prime ministers Paul Martin and Joe Clark, were among the guests.

"Everyone involved felt like they were part of a history-making event," McKenna said. "It seemed like a validation of a long process."

Dion said he hoped his presence at the wedding would reinforce the right of same-sex couples to marry.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the CBC report is the reaction of the local citizenry to news of the wedding.

Many of the 200 or so residents of Cheverie, on the province's western shoreline in the Annapolis Valley, say they don't understand the fuss and are playing down the significance of the wedding.

"To each their own," said Pat Eldridge of nearby Canning. "Everyone's entitled to their own opinions and own way of life. He's not hurting us. If they're in love and want to be together, then that's awesome. Love is hard to find."

How long will we have to wait until America's cultural sensibilities catch up to Canada's?