Canada could become the third country (after Belgium and the Netherlands) to fully legalize same-sex marriage, but a potentially bruising fight in parliament awaits, reports the Toronto Star. While the Canadian Supreme Court has ruled that the government can legalize same-sex marriage, this actually disappointed many activists who hoped the court would rule that the government must grant recognition to same-sex couples. Of course, as we've seen elsewhere, using court decrees to override the democratic process doesn't always work out so well in the end.
Belgium and the Netherlands both began with domestic partnerships/civil unions that were eventually merged into full marriage, so it will be instructive to see how the Canadian strategy plays out. I hope gay marriage is embraced by the people and their elected representatives. But I wouldn't expect U.S. gay marriage opponents to weaken their resolve either way.
Meanwhile,
New Zealand goes the civil unions route.