SCOTT BRISON WEDS PARTNER

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Nova Scotia: The Honourable Scott Brison, MP made history of a sort when he became the first federal politician to marry his same-sex partner.

The wedding ceremony took place Saturday near Brison's country home in Cheverie, N.S., a town of 200. He is the MP for the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants.

Guests described the ceremony as joyful and emotional.

"It's something we need to celebrate and we must be proud that Canada is showing the way," Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said after the wedding.

"I came first to celebrate love and happiness between two friends of mine, but if by my presence it helps a bit to reinforce a newly recognized right and to encourage other countries to do the same, I am pleased."

Former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna saw significance in the wedding.

"Everyone involved felt like they were part of a history-making event," said McKenna. "It seemed like a validation of a long process."

Former prime ministers Joe Clark and Paul Martin -- whose government passed same-sex marriage legislation -- and former Liberal cabinet minister Bill Graham were among the other political notables in attendance.

Brison's spokesperson, Dale Palmeter, told The Canadian Press that the marriage is a personal affair and would be celebrated in private.

Neighbours in the small sea-side town on Nova Scotia's western shore were perplexed by the media frenzy surrounding the marriage.

"I think it's silly that there's so much publicity over it," said Joanne Lake, a neighbour of Brison's. "If he was straight, would there be quite so much publicity over his wedding?"

Brison, 40, stepped aside in 2000 to allow then-Tory leader Joe Clark run in a byelection. He came out publicly in 2002.

Brison sought the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party in 2003, then crossed the floor to the Liberals just days after the Progressive Conservatives merged with the Canadian Alliance. He ran for the Liberal leadership in 2006.

Brison became the first openly gay federal cabinet minister in 2004 -- coincidentally, the same year a Nova Scotia judge ruled that not allowing gays in that province was unconstitutional. However, he has said he is "not a gay politician, but a politician who happens to be gay."

Earlier this summer, Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman wed his partner Christopher Peloso at a lodge near Sudbury, Ont.

When word of his engagement to St. Pierre first became public in October 2005, Brison said: "I'm looking forward to the day when the idea of a gay or lesbian politician getting married is not a story at all."

TWO CELEBRATIONS OF GAY MARRIAGE IN CANADA

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It may be known for its breathtaking views of the Minas Basin and the sheer cliffs of Blomidon, but a quiet corner of Nova Scotia has become the setting for an historic political first that some say will further affirm gay rights.

The tiny community of Cheverie on the province's western shoreline will host the wedding on Saturday of one of its most famous sons, Liberal MP Scott Brison, and his partner Maxime St. Pierre.

News of the nuptials has made headlines across the country as Brison becomes the first federal politician to tie the knot since gay marriage was legalized just over two years ago.

But many of the 200 or so residents of the blink-and-you-miss-it community of Cheverie don't understand the fuss, saying it's merely the story of a popular local boy who's come home to marry his longtime love.

"Everybody knows Scott, so it's just another wedding, I guess," said Paul, an employee at Cheverie's autobody shop who would only give his first name.

"People are talking, but I don't think it bothers anybody. It's not the 1800s anymore."



Brison's wedding comes just weeks after George Smitherman, Ontario's first openly gay cabinet minister, wed his partner Christopher Peloso at a lodge near Sudbury, Ont.



Deputy Premier George Smitherman and his partner Christopher Peloso made it official, exchanging vows yesterday before about 200 family members and well-wishers at Laurentian Lodge, a rustic and idyllic resort north of this small former mining community.

The 40-minute ceremony was conducted by Ojibway spiritual advisor Ron Indian-Mandamin, who referred to the ancient concept of gay or "two-spirited people" who in generations past often served as tribes' mystics or medicine men.

"Truth is the most powerful of all things. We need to show that this is a beautiful thing. The blood that flows through each and every one of us is the same," Indian-Mandamin said.



Barrie-area Justice of the Peace Gerry Solursh conducted the civil portion of the wedding, followed by jazz/blues singer Molly Johnson, who sang a moving rendition of her song "If You Know Love."

Smitherman, who as provincial health minister is a senior member of cabinet and often mentioned on the shortlist of future candidates for mayor of Toronto, acknowledged that such a public pronouncement of love would have political overtones.

"We haven't sought to make it political. It happens to be who I am and what I've done for almost my entire adult life so it's no surprise that it is going to have some political elements to it," Smitherman said.