The court has ruled against a former Manitoba marriage commissioner's claims that the province's requirement to perform same-sex marriages violates his freedom of religion. Unlike priests, rabbis and other religious officials, marriage commissioners perform civil ceremonies only and must follow provincial guidelines. If the applicant were allowed to refuse to do so, other marriage commissioners may follow suit," Simonsen wrote in the ruling. "This could result in more rejections and difficulty for same-sex couples finding a marriage commissioner who would marry them. The difficulty could be compounded in remote or small communities where the number of marriage commissioners is small."

Source: CBC News November 26, 2016 18:37 UTC