The federal government should consider the needs of children in any same-sex marriage debate, Conservative leadership contender Ted Morton and a coalition of religious groups urged Thursday.

Morton, one of nine contenders to replace Ralph Klein as Alberta's Conservative party leader, said the federal Tories should set up a parliamentary committee to study the impact that same-sex marriage has on children.

The federal government should consider the needs of children in any same-sex marriage debate, Conservative leadership contender Ted Morton and a coalition of religious groups urged Thursday.
(CBC News)

"The evidence is absolutely overwhelming that same-sex marriage is not a basic human right, but rather it's a social experiment," said Morton, who was a featured speaker at a news conference put on by the Edmonton Faith Coalition for Natural Marriage.

"There's a lot out there to debate and discuss, and I urge our MPs to reopen this debate," he said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has already signalled it plans to do so at the end of the current session of Parliament.

But Morton said it's not enough to rehash the same issues. What's needed is a global view of what's happening in other countries, he said, claiming there is no charter of rights in the world that recognizes homosexual marriage.

"Australia passed a law reinforcing and protecting natural marriage, as have 45 of the 50 U.S. states," he said. "Let's try to understand why England chose to create civil unions — but not marriage — for same-sex couples."

Issues settled: gay activist

Murray Billett, a gay activist in Edmonton, said the coalition's arguments will increase social division over an issue that has already been settled.

He pointed out there have already been roughly 10,000 same-sex marriages in Canada since the law was changed by the previous Liberal government in 2003.

"This is about family. This is about children. I'm a father. I have children," said Billett, who is also an executive member of the Ottawa-based Canadians For Equal Marriage.

"What about the kids that are in families today that are gay and lesbian children and will eventually come out? What message is this sending to them? That, to me, is very, very frightening."

Alberta initially fought Ottawa's move to redefine the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

The provincial government suggested it wouldn't process marriage licences to same-sex couples and at one point mused about using the notwithstanding clause in the Constitution to mount a legal challenge against the new federal law.

But Klein and his justice minister both eventually acknowledged the province had no legal sway over the federal government and its definition of marriage.