Canada Report

Bishop warns of same-sex marriage

Prime Minister Jean Chretien is jeopardizing his "eternal salvation" if he allows same-sex marriages, a Roman Catholic bishop says.

"He is making a morally grave error and he's not being accountable to God," said Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary.

Chretien's Liberal government drafted legislation after courts in two provinces ruled it was unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples the right to marry.

The draft legislation includes a new definition of marriage, replacing the traditional notion of a union between a man and a woman.

The definition is being reviewed by the Supreme Court to be sure it is constitutional, after which a vote will be held in Parliament.

A statement from Chretien's office said the prime minister's primary responsibility is to serve the Canadian public, not his church.

Sources say Chretien, 67, who is Roman Catholic, is uncomfortable with such marriages but believes changing the definition is the right thing to do to protect equality rights.

Pope John Paul II and top Vatican officials have been speaking against proposals to legalize same-sex marriages in Europe, Canada and elsewhere.

The Rolling Stones' extravaganza concert in Toronto on Wednesday pumped an estimated $50-million into the city's SARS-ravaged economy.

More than 450,000 people attended the 11-hour benefit event at Downsview Park.

Politicians and civic organizers are confident the concert put the city back on the world map as a safe place to visit. This is after several months of battling cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome that has killed 42 people in Toronto, including one the day before the concert.

Tourists have avoided the city, scared off by reports of the disease, costing an estimated $2-billion loss to the once-booming tourism and hospitality industry.

- A crowd of up to 1-million people was expected over the weekend in Toronto for the Caribana Festival, North America's largest event celebrating Caribbean culture. Organizers expected the numbers to be lower because of the SARS scare. One of the highlights is a colorful 2-mile parade through the downtown.

- The latest attempt to end the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute failed as the Canadian government pulled out of the discussions. That was after the Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports, which represents U.S. producers, rejected a draft proposal. The coalition said it still allowed too much subsidized Canadian lumber, now penalized with special duties of about 27 percent, into the United States.

It's been an up and down week for Canada's dollar, ending up lower at 71.44 U.S. cents while the U.S. greenback returned $1.3997 Canadian.

The Bank of Canada's key interest rate remains at 3 percent while the prime lending rate is 4.75 percent.

Canadian stock exchanges were mixed, with the Toronto index down at 7,226 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange higher at 1,213 points.

Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 4, 6, 12, 18, 41 and 48; bonus 8. (July 26) 11, 22, 26, 35, 41 and 46; bonus 8.

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