Note that in some of these cases, some marriages were in fact legal at an earlier date (for example, an Ontario ruling held that marriages performed in January 2001 were legal when performed), but the legality was questioned. J( Civil Marriage Act): Alberta, Prince Edward Island, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.December 21, 2004: Newfoundland and Labrador.Same-sex marriage was legally recognized in the provinces and territories as of the following dates: 4.2 Recognition in other provinces and territories.4 Other same-sex partner benefits in Canada.3.7 Recognition of foreign legal unions.3.6 Same-sex marriage in the 39th Parliament.
3.5 Legislative progress of the Civil Marriage Act.3.4 Debate prior to C-38's introduction.3.3 Supreme Court Reference Re Same-Sex Marriage.3.1.11 Proceedings in the Northwest Territories.3.1.9 Newfoundland and Labrador decision.1 Same-sex marriage by province/territory.This was the third vote supporting same-sex marriage taken by three parliaments under three prime ministers. Following the 2006 election, which was won by a Conservative minority government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the House of Commons defeated a motion to reopen the matter by a vote of 175 to 123 on December 7, 2006, effectively reaffirming the legislation. It was passed by the House of Commons on June 28, 2005, by the Senate on July 19, 2005, and it received royal assent the following day. The Civil Marriage Act was introduced by Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal minority government in the House of Commons of Canada on February 1, 2005, as Bill C-38. Most legal benefits commonly associated with marriage had been extended to cohabiting same-sex couples since 1999. More than 3,000 same-sex couples had already married in those areas before the Civil Marriage Act was passed. Before the federal recognition of same-sex marriage, court decisions had already introduced it in eight out of ten provinces in the country and one of three territories, whose residents collectively made up about 90 percent of Canada's population. The introduction of a federal gender-neutral marriage definition made Canada the fourth country in the world, and the first country outside Europe, to legally recognize same-sex marriage throughout its borders. On June 10, 2003, the Court of Appeal for Ontario issued a decision immediately legalizing same-sex marriage in Ontario, thereby becoming the first province where it was legal. Same-sex marriage in Canada was progressively introduced in several provinces by court decisions beginning in 2003 before being legally recognized nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act on July 20, 2005. Foreign same-sex spouses are eligible for a "Non-Tourist Visa" as a dependent.Some cities and prefectures issue certificates for same-sex couples, but they are not legally binding.Unregistered cohabitation or Maitri Karar–type contractual relationships.Legal guardianships (nationwide, except Hong Kong and Macau), residency rights for foreign spouses of legal residents (Hong Kong).Romania ruling of the European Court of Justice obliges the state to provide residency rights for the foreign spouses of EU citizens. Registered foreign marriages confer limited rights. Neither performed nor recognized in American Samoa or some tribal nations.Neither performed nor recognized in six British Overseas Territories.Neither performed nor recognized in Niue, Tokelau, or the Cook Islands.Registered in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten in such cases, but the rights of marriage are not guaranteed. Performed in the Netherlands proper, including the Caribbean Netherlands.Performed statewide in 25 of 31 states and in Mexico City, in certain municipalities in one other state, and recognized by all states in such cases.