Canada's Supreme Court paved the way Dec. 9 for the country to become the third country to allow nationwide recognition of gay marriages.
The court ruled, in a clarification sought by Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal government, that the federal government has exclusive authority to define marriage and said a proposed law to allow same-sex marriages was constitutional.
The court, however, also ruled that Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects religious groups from being forced to perform gay weddings against their beliefs.
The decision by the high court's nine justices came 18 months after the federal government under former Prime Minister Jean Chretien abandoned its fight against gay marriage when courts in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec declared traditional marriage laws unconstitutional.
Belgium and the Netherlands already have authorized gay marriage.
Groups opposed to same-sex marriage noted that the court's non-binding opinion throws the issue squarely to Parliament, where evangelicals predicted defeat for members of parliament who vote to allow gay marriage.
Parliament will likely take up early in the new year the proposed bill to allow gay weddings in city halls, courthouses and religious institutions that choose to perform them.
Martin's Liberals hold a thin minority government, with 134 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons. But they should win the support of most or all of the left-leaning 19 New Democrat and 54 Bloc Quebecois members.
Associated Baptist Press