(December 4, Montreal)  The government of Quebec unveiled details of its Partnership Union bill to members of Montreal's gay community Monday night.  The plan is expected to be laid out to the public later today.

The government announced November 9 that it would bring in legislation to create a Partnership Registry. The announcement, during a court challenge in Montreal of the constitutionality of preventing gays and lesbians from marrying took many gays and lesbians in the province by surprise.

Justice Minister Paul Bégin has finalized the first draft of a bill. Lawyers for the minister have advised that while marriage is a federal responsibility, partnership unions fall under the provinces.

Although all of Canada's provinces, and the federal government, recognize same sex relationships only Nova Scotia has gone as far as setting up an official registry.

Deputy Government House Leader André Boisclair met with gay community leaders Monday night to outline portions of the legislation.

The Quebec bill would create a similar system and allow for a ceremony before a judge. 

In an interview Begin said: "Fundamentally, the (new) bill sanctions the same thing as marriage. This is a celebration like a marriage, modeled on what's happening throughout the rest of the world."

It would provide more rights than heterosexual common law couples have in Quebec, and incorporates such elements as spousal-support payments, pension benefits and the right of partners to make decisions regarding the care of their partners.

But if fails to meet many of the demands of the gay community.  It is not full marriage.  And, it does not however include adoption.

A poll conducted last summer found 76.5 per cent of Quebecers would support same-sex civil unions.  But, only 55.1 per cent of them approved of gay and lesbians adopting children.  Bégin said more study is needed before such a change is considered.

At Monday night's meeting activist Irène Demzchuk told Boisclair that whatever the government does, or does not do, we were going to continue fighting  for full equality, in the courts and in public, and that means access to marriage."

Boisclair said he hoped to have hearings on the legislation in February or March and said the bill would be law before June 23rd when the National Assembly takes its summer break.

But, Michael Hendricks, who with his partner Rene LeBoeuf are behind the court challenge which is still underway, said the legislation may never see passage.

Hendricks said that with a provincial election due next year, the legislation may be allowed to die on the order table.

Holland is the only country where gays and lesbians are legally allowed to marry. Varying forms of partnership unions exist in France, Germany, Portugal and Denmark.

In the US, Vermont has the sole partnership union law.

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