Outgoing Canada Justice Minister predicts no change to same-sex marriage law News
Outgoing Canada Justice Minister predicts no change to same-sex marriage law

[JURIST] Irwin Cotler [official profile], the outgoing Minister of Justice and Attorney General of , has said that despite some indications from Canada's incoming Conservative party government [JURIST report], he doubts that the country's recently enacted same-sex marriage law [JURIST report] would be repealed. Prime Minister-designate Stephen Harper [official profile] has said that the government will allow a free vote in the House of Commons [CTV report] to determine whether MPs want to reopen debate on the issue, and if it is passed, Conservatives have promised to introduce legislation that would "restore the traditional definition of marriage" while respecting existing marriages. Cotler said that he expected MPs will not vote to revisit the issue. New Democratic Party MP Joe Comartin [CBC News profile],who voted for the bill when it was passed last summer, echoed Cotler's beliefs saying that the issue has been decided both by parliament and the courts. Opponents of same-sex marriage [JURIST report] said there might be more MPs willing to change their votes than currently believed. The Toronto Globe and Mail has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN General Assembly approves Palestine partition plan

The UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution Resolution 181 (II) on November 29, 1947, recommending that the British Mandate for Palestine be split into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone for Jerusalem. The vote in the assembly was 33 for to 13 against, with 10 abstentions. The resolution sparked a war between Palestinian Arabs and Jews in 1947 and a wider war after Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon invaded the new State of Israel in 1948. Read Resolution 181 (II).

UN divided Palestine between Arabs and Jews

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab territories, leading to the establishment of a Jewish state the following year. Read UN General Assembly Resolution 181.

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