Court Ruling
In April 2005, four same-sex couples filed a court challenge against the government's policy against issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples. The couples include prominent New Brunswick gay rights advocate Art Vautour-Toole and his husband Wayne Toole (who have been married in Ontario), as well as Catherine Sidney and Bridget McGale and two other couples.
On June 23 of that year, Judge Judy Clendenning of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick in Moncton issued a ruling that the province's failure to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples was a violation of their Charter rights, in accordance with the court rulings in other provinces. She allowed a ten-day grace period to the government in which to begin issuing same-sex marriage licences. This was less than a month before Parliament made same-sex marriage throughout Canada.
The new licenses became available on July 4.
Read more about this topic: Same-sex Marriage In New Brunswick
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