Gay marriage legalized in canada
Civil Marriage Act
S.C. , c. 33
Assented to
An Execute respecting certain aspects of legal capacity for marriage for civil purposes
Preamble
WHEREAS the Parliament of Canada is committed to upholding the Constitution of Canada, and section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that every individual is same before and under the law and has the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination;
WHEREAS the courts in a majority of the provinces and in one area have recognized that the right to equality without discrimination requires that couples of the same sex and couples of the opposite sex have same access to marriage for civil purposes;
WHEREAS the Supreme Court of Canada has recognized that many Canadian couples of the equal sex have married in reliance on those court decisions;
WHEREAS only equal access to marriage for civil purposes would respect the right of couples of the same sex to equality without discrimination, and civil union, as an institution other than marriage, would not offer them that equal access a
When Canada’s Civil Marriage Behave (Bill C) came into effect on July 20, , making same-sex marriage legal from coast to coast to coast, the country became the fourth in the world to legally treat homosexual couples the same as heterosexual ones. The passage of the act put Canada a decade ahead of our southern neighbour, where the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationally in , and capped an often-tense debate about the place of queer people in Canadian society. When the Liberal government introduced the legislation that February, then-prime minister Paul Martin declared, “I believe in, and I will struggle for, a future in which generations of Canadians to come, Canadians born here and abroad, will have the opportunity to value the Charter as we do today—as an essential pillar of our democratic freedoms.”
But while the passage of the behave was a celebratory moment, it did not instantly make all LGBTQ2 Canadians feel equal to their straight counterparts in all aspects of life. Indeed, the symbolism around Bill C, which passed in Parliament a few weeks e
Canada’s House of Commons OKs gay marriage
Canada’s House of Commons passed landmark legislation Tuesday to legalize gay marriage, granting same-sex couples legal rights equal to those in traditional unions between a man and a woman.
The bill passed as expected, despite opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders. The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin’s minority Liberal Party government was also expected to easily pass the Senate and become federal law by the end of July.
The Netherlands and Belgium are the only other two nations that approve gay marriage nationwide.
Some of Martin’s Liberal lawmakers voted against the bill and a Cabinet minister resigned Tuesday over the legislation. But enough allies rallied to assist the bill that has been debated for months, voting to to endorse it.
Praise from PM Martin
Martin celebrated Tuesday’s vote as a necessary step for human rights.
“We are a nation of minorities,” Martin said. “And in a nation of minorities, it is important that you don’t cherry-pick rights.”
There are an estimated 34, gay and lesbia
Marriage Equality Around the Society
The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the world. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of community, national and regional advocates and contribute tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower movements for marriage equality.
Current State of Marriage Equality
There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Uruguay.
These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions.
Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in
Liechtenstein: On May 16, , Liechtenstein's gove