Quick, read these quotes, don't Google them, and take a guess...

We will be influenced by our faith but we also have an obligation to take the widest perspective -- to recognize that one of the great strengths of Canada is its respect for the rights of each and every individual, to understand that we must not shrink from the need to reaffirm the rights and responsibilities of Canadians in an evolving society.

Okay, that comes close to giving it away.  But there's more.  And it gets better.

The second argument ventured by opponents of the bill is that government ought to hold a national referendum on this issue. I reject this - not out of a disregard for the view of the people, but because it offends the very purpose of the Charter.

The Charter was enshrined to ensure that the rights of minorities are not subjected, are never subjected, to the will of the majority. The rights of Canadians who belong to a minority group must always be protected by virtue of their status as citizens, regardless of their numbers. These rights must never be left vulnerable to the impulses of the majority.

We embrace freedom and equality in theory, Mr. Speaker. We must also embrace them in fact.

Alright, dumb game... the man who spoke these words in front of the Canadian Parliament a few years back is former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. 

It gets even better.

Third, some have counseled the government to extend to gays and lesbians the right to "civil union." This would give same-sex couples many of the rights of a wedded couple, but their relationships would not legally be considered marriage. In other words, they would be equal, but not quite as equal as the rest of Canadians.

Paul Martin is a Catholic.  He admitted, during an interview on the fantastic CBC News program the National with Peter Mansbridge, that regardless of the conflict re: his faith versus same-sex marriage, as Prime Minister one of his duties is to protect the rights of minorities.  And he did just that when he served, taking a bold move... a move that continues to be, until the last one falls, validated by court decisions state by state, province by province in the United States and Canada.

It never ceases to amaze me what an amazing job conservative talk show hosts in America do of manipulating the public into thinking lots of things - high on the list is the falsehood that a real political left exists in mainstream American politics. It clearly does not. The politicians usually branded as part of the 'extreme left' - Barrack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and the like - have come no where near taking the type of stance Paul Martin took on one of the biggest social issues going today - same-sex or gay marriage.  These politicians are planted, quite firmly, just to the right of center.  I am not sure what is responsible for the American disease of thinking we actually have a true mainstream left in this country, and if we did, why that would be a problem.  It's surely a combination of factors that includes lack of experience, lack of education, and What's The Matter With Kansas?

If Obama and Pelosi and others were the 'leftists' they are so frequently called, they may have been more vocal on the issue of gay marriage.  How many high-ranking, visible American politicians took a real, out in the open, firm stand against California's Proposition 8?  I suspect Dennis Kucinich did, but here's a guy who, unfortunately, was kicked off a Presidential debate with no objection coming from his Democratic counterparts.  I know that San Francisco Mayor and California Governor hopeful Gavin Newsom did, but he is hardly a big time national figure at this point. 

In Canada, Paul Martin, rightfully, condemned the practice of voting on the rights of other people, particularly minority groups.  Yet, in the United States it has become common practice.  In fact, in California the yes votes on Proposition 8 led to a right being taken away from citizens!  Gay marriage was legal until voters passed Prop 8, which will likely end getting overturned by the courts.  And it will get overturned because as Paul Martin has the balls to say, there is really no other way to rule.  The Canadian Charter of Rights is pretty much the same document in practice as the United States Constitution.  I am not sure how any judge can read either of these documents and not grant the same rights to same-sex couples as he or she does to heterosexual couples.  Soon, gay marriage will be the law of the land.  And then what will people like Barrack Obama and Nancy Pelosi do?  Act like they were right there all along?  It will likely depend on the political consequences.  Where have you gone Robert F. Kennedy?