"All people should be able to freely choose their intimate partners and their legal relational status without penalty from the state or without financial inducement to abandon their choices. The role of the law ought to be to support any and all relationships that further valuable social goals, and to remain neutral with respect to individual's choice of a particular family form or status." .
Same sex marriage was legalized in the province of Ontario on June 10th and in British Colombia on July 8th 2003. A federal bill to extend that right in all provinces and territories is pending; a draft of the bill was released on July 17th 2003.
The Ontario Court of Appeal confirmed that current Canadian laws on marriage violated the equality provisions in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in being restricted to heterosexual couples On June 10, 2003,. The court made Ontario the first jurisdiction in North America to recognize same-sex marriage. Consequently, Toronto said begin issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples. The next day, the Ontario attorney general said that his government would comply with the ruling. .
"1. Marriage, for civil purposes, is the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others. .
2. Nothing in this Act affects the freedom of officials of religious groups to refuse to perform marriages that are not in accordance with their religious beliefs. " .
Some rights for same-sex couples have been granted in recent years. The primary right of equal opportunity have not been extended to same sex marriage rights in Canada. Differing to the position of the Canadian government and the beliefs of many religious organizations and religious groups, the definitions of marriage limited in both the Federal and Ontario Marriage Acts, infringe the basic human rights guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In order to fulfill with the ideals of independent fairness, the government wants to take a closer look at their outdated views on marriage rights for gay couples and correct their legislation to better go with the views of Canada's growing population.
