One week after the Ontario Court of Appeal legalized same-sex marriage in the province on June 10, 2003, Canada’s then-prime minister Jean Chretien announced legislation that would change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.
“We will be proposing legislation that will protect the rights of churches and religious organizations to sanctify marriage as they define it. And at the same time, we will ensure our legislation includes and legally recognize the union of same-sex couples,” said Chretien.
Not every province was on board with the federal government’s plan. Speaking with reporters, Alberta’s then-justice minister Dave Hancock said, “We have a definition of marriage in our Act, that’s what we will uphold.”
NDP MP Svend Robinson, who publicly announced he was gay in 1988 and was the first Member of Parliament to do so, commended the prime minister for his leadership.
CTV reporters took to the streets to get reaction from Canadians, some of whom claimed the plan was the best thing to have happened in Canada for a long time, while others suggested the legalization of same-sex marriage was not necessary.
Two years later on July 20, 2005, the Civil Marriage Act received Royal Assent, making Canada the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
