Same-sex marriage story adds fuel to debate about Harper’s ‘hidden agenda’

Last month, former prime minister Jean Chrétien made headlines for a provocative Liberal fundraising letter suggesting the Harper government would introduce bills banning abortion and same-sex marriages.

Today, many are jumping onto that 'bandwagon' and are agreeing with Chrétien's interpretation that Harper in fact does have a hidden agenda.

According to a report in the Globe and Mail, the Harper government "has served notice that the 5,000 same-sex couples who flocked to Canada from abroad since 2004 to get married are not legally wed."

The apparent reversal of the federal policy was revealed in a document filed in a case launched recently by a lesbian couple seeking a divorce. Wed in Toronto in 2005, the couple have been told they can't divorce because they were never really married — a Department of Justice lawyer says their marriage is not legal in Canada since they could not have lawfully wed in Florida or England, where the two partners reside.

Pressed by journalists in Halifax on Thursday, the Prime Minister said the issue isn't on the Conservative agenda. He denied any intention to reopen the gay marriage file.

"I will admit to you that I am not aware of the details," the Prime Minister told reporters.

"This I gather is a case before the courts where Canadian lawyers have taken a particular position based on the law and I will be asking officials to provide me more details."

Later in the day, in a statement to CBC News, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said he would be "looking at options to clarify the law so that marriages performed in Canada can be undone in Canada."

Many, however, aren't buying the Harper government's explanation.

David Miller, the former mayor of Toronto who now works as a lawyer, said it was "sneaky and underhanded" of the federal government to say foreigners who married in same-sex ceremonies in Canada are not legally married.

"I ran a major government — the sixth largest government in Canada — and I can tell you that this kind of decision would not happen without the Prime Minister being briefed," he told the Globe and Mail.

Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae echoed Miller's comments.

"The narrow interpretation of the law shows that the Harper government is trying to take away same-sex rights by stealth, and Canadians need to know that the advances we thought were secure are now under threat from the Harper neo-conservatives," he told the Toronto Star on Thursday.

Robert Leckey, an associate law professor at Montreal's McGill University, told the Star that Canadians have every right to be suspicious as to what the Harper government is up to.

"The federal government has never advanced those arguments before, and it is surprising that the federal government is involved in a private divorce case," he said.

Same-sex marriage was effectively legalized by Canadian courts in 2004. More than 5,000 of the approximately 15,000 same-sex marriages that have taken place since then involved couples from other countries.