Eight members: (five Liberal members, one NDP member and two members from the Bloc Québécois) supported the motion.
	Eight members (four each from the Liberal and Alliance parties) were opposed.
	There was no representative present from the Conservative party. 2

Svend Robinson said: "This is the first time in the Canadian Parliament that a committee has spoken and said that gay and lesbian people should be entitled to equality...It's long overdue." ₄

Alliance Member of Parliament, Vic Toews, issued a statement saying: "It is unfortunate that the majority of this Committee has simply decided to allow the courts to determine how this important social issue should be resolved." ₂

	Draft a proposed revision to the marriage act which would allow SSM. The draft would include protection for religious leaders who refused to marry same-sex couples on religious grounds.
	Submit the legislation in the form of a reference to the Supreme Court of Canada who would be asked to give a non-binding ruling on its constitutionality.
	Make any needed changes to the draft legislation.
	Submit the legislation to Parliament for a free vote.

An unnamed government source said that the decision by the Ontario appeal court "how they nailed it, how it was framed, how it was written" was a pivotal point for everyone in the caucus. It was a clear indication from the court they didn't want to screw around with it any more....Asking [the Ontario appeal court] to hold off implementation requires convincing evidence of 'irreparable harm.' You have to basically say the sky's going to fall -- It's a hard case to make. You're not likely to get it." ₇

In the Canadian Parliament, members are generally expected to vote according to the party line. However, on ethical matters, like abortion and SSM, they are sometimes allowed to vote according to their conscience in a "free" vote. However, there remains considerable pressure on government members to vote in favor of the legislation, and for the members of the opposition parties to vote against it. A member's future political career might be profoundly influenced by their vote. Meanwhile, cabinet ministers are always expected to vote with the government.

Prime Minister Chrétien reported on CBC NewsWorld that the federal government would not appeal the British Columbia and Ontario court decisions to the Supreme Court. He said that: "we'll be proposing legislation that will protect the rights of churches and religious organizations to sanctify marriage as they define it." Traditionally, churches, synagogues, and other religious groups have been free to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. in matters of membership, ordination and marriage. They will continue to have this freedom in the future. The Prime Minister continued: "At the same time, we will ensure that our marriage legislation includes and legally recognizes the unions of same-sex couples." ₁" When asked by a reporter if the term "union" meant "marriage," he apparently found it difficult to actually use the "M" word. He said, ambiguously: "There is evolution in the society , and according to the interpretation of the courts, they concluded these unions should be legal in Canada." _6,9