Same-sex marriage in Quebec
.svg.png){kind=small} Same-sex marriage in Canada |
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| Legal |
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Civil Marriage Act Reference re Same-Sex Marriage |
| Parliament |
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38th House · 38th Senate 39th House · 39th Senate |
| Same-sex marriage by province |
| Related |
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Civil unions in Quebec Adult interdependent relationship in Alberta Domestic partnership in Nova Scotia Common-law relationships in Manitoba |
On March 19, 2004, the Quebec Court of Appeals ruled similarly to the Ontario and B.C. courts, upholding Hendricks and Leboeuf v. Quebec and ordering that it take effect immediately. (365gay.com) The couple who brought the suit, Michael Hendricks and René Leboeuf, immediately sought a marriage licence; the usual 20-day waiting period was waived, and they were wed on April 1 at the Palais de justice de Montréal.
The Quebec decision meant that more than two-thirds of the Canadian population were living in provinces where same-sex marriage is legal. Subsequent cases as well as federal legislation, have expanded this number to cover the entire country.
The Quebec government had previously legalized civil unions for both same-sex and opposite-sex partners.[1] It included the right to adopt children jointly. See: Civil unions in Quebec.
In November 2004, the Marriage Act was amended by replacing the words "husband and wife" with "spouses".[2] Therefore Quebec became the first province in Canada to add a gender neutral definition of spouse in its marriage laws.
References
- ↑ "Bill n°84 : An Act instituting civil unions and establishing new rules of filiation". National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ↑ "Bill n°59 : An Act to amend the Civil Code as regards marriage". National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
External links
- Same sex marriage in Canada
- Catholic Civil Rights League v. Hendricks (Quebec Court of Appeal, 19 March 2004) - text of the ruling (canlii.ca)