The Canadian Parliament lent lukewarm support to the government's plans to legalize gay marriage on Tuesday by narrowly defeating a nonbinding motion reaffirming the heterosexual-only definition of marriage.

The Liberal-dominated House of Commons voted 137-132 against a motion from the opposition Canadian Alliance declaring that "marriage is and should remain the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others."

The vote capped a tumultuous summer, starting in June when an Ontario court overthrew the traditional definition of marriage as unconstitutional, allowing gay marriage in the province immediately.

A British Columbia court expanded same-sex marriage to the Pacific province.

The federal government decided not to appeal, instead drafting a bill it intends to submit to Parliament to allow same-sex marriages across Canada.

But the closeness of Tuesday's count on an opposition motion, in which at least 50 Liberals voted against their government and 31 legislators did not vote at all, raised questions about whether the government bill would pass, especially if an election is fought before it comes to a vote.

"It should send a warning signal to them that they've got some big problems on this issue and they've got them with core Liberal voters," Alliance leader Stephen Harper told reporters, adding that cabinet had been forced to vote as a block.

But Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said the vote was "extraordinarily positive" and supported the government's handling of the file.

"Tonight you had a good demonstration that, indeed, society has evolved, and I believe we're going in the right direction," he said.

The Alliance introduced the motion partly to pin down individual Liberal legislators' positions ahead of the federal election expected next spring.

Many Liberal legislators, particularly in the heartland of Ontario, have voiced concern that the government's position could cost seats in Parliament.

The government reversed itself after having supported an identical motion in 1999, and Harper said it proved it could not be trusted when it now pledged to exempt clergy from having to perform same-sex marriages.

"It would be hard to be more openly and transparently dishonest than this government has been on this question," Harper said.

Cauchon has asked the Supreme Court to give its opinion on his draft bill before it starts winding its way through Parliament. That reference is unlikely to be heard until next spring, with the court handing down its ruling before next autumn.

By that time a new government will probably be in place -- likely Liberal, according to current polls, but under a new prime minister, probably former Finance Minister Paul Martin.

Martin voted against the Alliance motion but he told reporters that he was open to all options on the issue, including the concept of same-sex "civil unions" rather than "marriages."

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