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Nicholson’s statement came in the wake of a political firestorm that broke out Thursday after international headlines suggested the Canadian government doesn’t legally recognize the marriages of foreign same-sex couples who were married in Canada because they could not legally do so in their home state or country.

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The controversy was sparked by a Toronto court case involving a foreign lesbian couple, who wed in Toronto in 2005 and now seek a divorce.

A federal lawyer contended the couple cannot divorce in Canada under this country’s laws since the two were never really married here.

Their marriage is not recognized in Canada if it is not recognized in their home jurisdictions — in this case, Florida and England, the lawyer said.

However, under the current law, marriages of non-Canadian residents performed in Canada cannot be dissolved in Canada.

Under the Divorce Act, there is a residency requirement that a couple must live in the country for at least one year in order to divorce here.

The government will not be looking at changes to the Divorce Act, as that legislation is much more complicated, a senior government official told Postmedia News earlier on Friday.

Instead, the official said the government would explore other options of dissolving marriages for same-sex couples that do not live in Canada.

On Friday, Nicholson repeated what he and Prime Minister Stephen Harper made clear on Thursday, that the issue of same-sex marriage is not on the Conservative government’s agenda.

“We have been clear that we have no desire to reopen this issue”be said. “Both myself and the Prime Minister consider this debate to be closed,” said Nicholson.

Harper said Thursday that he said he didn’t know much about the case, but said that his government “has no intention of further opening or reopening this issue.”

Full Comment’s Matt Gurney watched the story unfold yesterday I claim no special insight into the workings of Stephen Harper’s mind. But if the Tories were looking to re-open the gay marriage debate, this would have to be the strangest way they could ever hope to go about it. Do people seriously believe that the Tories have been sitting on a plan, waiting for an impatient non-resident same-sex couple to file a Charter challenge so they can divorce in a hurry, so that they can spring it into action?

Postmedia News