From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Voters in Switzerland will decide Sunday whether to allow same-sex marriages in the rich Alpine country, one of the few in Western Europe where gay and lesbian couples do not already have the right to wed.
Switzerland has authorized same-sex civil partnerships since 2007. The Swiss government, which has endorsed the "Marriage for All" referendum, says passage would put same-sex partners on equal legal footing with heterosexual couples by allowing them to adopt children together and to sponsor a spouse for citizenship.
Opponents have argued that replacing civil partnerships with full marriage rights somehow would undermine families based on a union between one man and one woman.
Polls suggest the referendum, which also would allow lesbian couples to utilize regulated sperm donation, is set to pass. The most recent polls have suggested it has about 60% support, but the margin has narrowed as the vote has gotten closer.
The campaign has been rife with allegations of unfair tactics, with the opposing sides decrying the ripping down of posters, LGBT hotlines getting flooded with complaints, hostile e-mails and shouted insults against campaigners, and efforts to silence opposing views.
Switzerland, which has a population of 8.5 million and international prestige due to Geneva's role as the home of the United Nations in Europe, is traditionally conservative and only extended the right to vote to all its women in 1990.
Depending on the geopolitical definition used to describe Western Europe, the country is the only, one of two or part of a handful of nations in the region that don't recognize same-sex marriages. Greece, Italy and the microstates of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino also among the places that only allow local couples to marry if they are a man and a woman.
Most countries in central and Eastern Europe do not allow wedlock involving two men or two women.
Even if the Swiss referendum passes, supporters say it would be months before same-sex couples could get married, due mainly to administrative and legislative procedures.
Unlike in many other European countries, where elected lawmakers legalized same-sex marriages, Swiss voters are deciding because opponents qualified a public referendum on the matter after the national parliament approved legislation to give gay and lesbian couples full marriage rights. A similar referendum in Ireland in 2015 overwhelmingly passed.
Switzerland's referendum process give voters a direct say in policymaking, and most voting is done through mail-in balloting.
The Swiss government says about 700 same-sex couples each year form civil unions, but that they don't enjoy equal rights. By allowing marriage, it would let same-sex couples adopt children that are not those of either spouse; lesbian couples could gain access to donated sperm; and foreign-born spouses of Swiss nationals in same-sex relationships would get faster-track access to Swiss nationality.
"This is a fight that goes back 20 years," said Matthias Erhardt, a Geneva City Council member who supports making same-sex marriages legal in Switzerland. "I think it would be a step toward modernity."
"For us LGB people -- lesbians, gays and bisexuals -- it's our entire life, our life plan, that's at stake," Erhardt said. Some transgender individuals identify heterosexual, while others consider themselves gay, lesbian or bisexual.
Opponents say marriages should only be legally recognized when they are between a man and a woman, arguing that extending the institution to same-sex partners would enshrine the absence of fathers into law.
"If the law is adopted, we are going to introduce into Swiss civil law a new institution: that of the child without a father," Yves Nidegger, a national lawmaker from the right-wing, populist Swiss People's Party, said.
"Two women or two men who want to conceive a child, even if they love each other very, very very much, that's just not the way children are created," Nidegger said.
LGBT rights advocacy group ILGA-Europe places Switzerland 22nd -- after Slovenia and Bosnia -- in its 2021 ranking of 49 European countries on their legal and policy practices. The ranking takes into account a variety of factors including anti-LGBT discrimination, hate crimes and speech, and legal recognition of transgender people.
Another issue on Sunday's ballot is a measure spearheaded by left-wing groups to raise taxes on returns from investments and capital such as dividends or income from rental properties in Switzerland as a way to ensure better redistribution and fairer taxation.
Polls suggest that referendum is unlikely to pass in a country known for its vibrant financial sector and relatively low taxes, and as a haven for many of the world's richest people.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.