CBC - New Brunswick

Flow of gay immigrants predicted
WebPosted Jun 18 2003 12:58 PM EDT

SAINT JOHN — A professor of comparative religion says Canada could become a haven for gay immigration.

Tuesday, Prime Minister Jean Chretien said he will draft new legislation to legalize same-sex marriage.

Tom Faulkner teaches at Dalhousie University. He says many couples in the United States will now think about moving north of the border.

"I think that at this point, Canada is going to start looking about as attractive to gays and lesbians as it did for people who were, in conscience, opposed to the Vietnam War and decided they were going to come live here. I think that'll be very interesting to watch. I think that we may, in this gesture toward divesity and greater openess in Canadian attitudes, I think we may find ourselves with some very interesting and wonderful immigrants."

Faulkner says many churches in the Maritimes will likely avoid dealing with the same-sex issue. But, he says, gay and lesbian couples will not have trouble finding chaplains or other spiritual leaders to sanctify their marriages.

Meanwhile, at least one MP and cabinet minister, Claudette Bradshaw of Moncton, says she will vote in favour of gay marriages. Bradshaw says her views have been influenced by the number of young people she's met on the street who were gay.

The Minister of Labour says many were kicked out of their homes by parents who couldn't deal with their children's homosexuality.

She says the federal proposal will protect freedom of religion. But she admits she will have to work hard to convince some of her older constituents.

From June 18, 2003: Elsie Wayne doesn't want gay marriages

Bradshaw says she realized the hardships gay people face when she toured the country in 1999. She wanted to see what life was like for homeless people. She says stories about prostitution, drugs, abuse and alcoholism were close to what she expected, but she was surprised at the number of gay kids on the streets.

"The one group that absolutely shocked me, that I live with everyday, was the amount of young people on the street – middle-class and high-class young children on our streets who are on the street because when they told their parents they were gay, they were put out of the house."

Bradshaw says those children need help and love. She says removing forms of discrimination against gay people is something she wants to do.