A Pluralistic Balance

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In the last decade, Canadian courts have increasingly recognized gay marriages. This recognition has been long overdue as the Canadian gay community was routinely oppressed prior to this string of court rulings. This was a definite victory for Canadian democracy, seeing that a minority group has had its rights protected. Paul Martin, after having presented the Civil Marriage Act, described it "as a natural and necessary evolution of minority-rights protection under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms." (Den Tant, 2005) However, there are certain inconsistencies with this seemingly pluralistic approach that have become more apparent in recent years. Canadian democracy may be defined as "majority rule, minority rights," and with these decisions we can safely assume that the majority of Canadians are tolerant of gay marriages. It therefore follows that those against gay marriages are also a minority. As a result of this recent change in the political climate, the power scheme has shifted from those who oppose same-sex marriage to the gay community. This is evidenced in the many incarcerations of religious figures who peacefully protest outside of parliament hill and were consequently charged with hate crimes1. This is clearly not the epitome of democracy and the best possible solution would be to restore the power balance between these groups so that each has as much power as the other with compromises on various issues.

Pluralism may be defined as the pursuit of individuals in utilizing various political tools available to them, with the freedom to find and cooperate with those who are like minded. If this group is formed but is ignored by the government of Canada and the majority in general, the group can mobilize its ...

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