Laliberte Abstaining from Same Sex Vote

Laliberte Abstaining from Same Sex Vote

Tuesday, September 16, 2003 at 14:17

Northern Saskatchewan’s Member of Parliament has elected to skip a high-profile vote in the House of Commons today.

MPs are voting on a Canadian Alliance motion designed to block same-sex marriage.

Tonight’s vote is seen as a big test for Prime Minister Chretien’s plan to legalize same sex marriages.

Many Liberal MPs are afraid they will lose their seats in next year’s election over the issue, but will be allowed to vote as they see fit tonight.

However, Churchill River MP Rick Laliberte has decided not to vote on the motion and won’t be in Ottawa for tonight’s vote.

Laliberte has remained tight-lipped on his stance on the issue so far, but has indicated he will comment on the matter later in the week.