On July 20, 2005 Canada legalized same-sex marriage. At the time, it was one of only four countries in the world to do so. Already legalized in eight out of the ten provinces and one of the three territories by 2003, same-sex marriage had been a long time coming.
Most of the provincial legalization were due to high level court cases, arguing that to deny queer couples marriage would be discrimination in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Many of the legal benefits that accompany marriage had applied to queer couples since 1999 for similar reasons.
2.jpg "David Climenhaga, author of the Alberta Diary blog, is a journalist, author, journalism teacher, poet and trade union communicator who has worked in senior writing and editing positions with the Toronto Globe and Mail and the Calgary Herald. His 1995 book, A Poke in the Public Eye, explores the relationships among Canadian journalists, public relations people and politicians. He left journalism after the strike at the Calgary Herald in 1999 and 2000 to work as Communications Director of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, which with more than 73,000 members is Alberta’s largest union and Canada’s 10th largest. Alberta Diary focuses on Alberta politics and social issues. Contact: albertadiary @ gmail.com")
