Gay marriage overwhelmingly approved by Canadian conservatives in vote

Conservative members of parliament gave their approval on same-sex marriage on Saturday, May 28, as they ditched the traditional definition of marriage that defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman.

A heated debate preceded the voting. Conservatives voted 1,036 to 462 in favor of taking a neutral position on the definition of marriage, giving an overwhelming support for same-sex marriage.

Leadership candidate Maxime Bernier said the resolution is their way of saying to their citizens that "you can love who you want, and you can be loved," The Star reported.

In most provinces, majority of the delegates supported the resolution except in Saskatchewan.

Calgary MP Michelle Rempel said the Conservative Party "is the party of rights for all Canadians."

"It is long past time that we passed this resolution," she said amid a loud applause at the Vancouver Convention Centre, National Post reported.

Another Calgary MP, Jason Kenney, said ditching the traditional definition of marriage has been resolved by the courts years ago, and that there was no point in keeping a policy that did not recognize the reality of the issue. The vote turnout is "just having the language catch up with reality," he said in the same report.

Conservative delegate Goldie Ghamari, who came from a country where gay people are highly discriminated against and even hanged because of religion, was in favor of the resolution.

"Government does not have a place in your bedroom," she said, saying that she and her family went to Canada particularly to enjoy freedom.

Preston Manning agrees. He explained that the party's position is to have nothing to do with how marriage is defined.

"People can define marriage as they like," he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laughingly criticized the debates at the Conservative Party's national convention, saying the debates were being held more than 10 years since same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada.

"Well ... better late than never, right," Trudeau said, according to The Star.