Nova Scotia Judge Okays SSM
From pei.cbc.ca from the Web, September 24, 2004
HALIFAX -- A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge ruled Friday that the province must allow same-sex couples to marry.
An appeal is not likely. On Thursday, Premier John Hamm said his government would respect whatever the judge ruled.
In August, three couples asked Justice Heather Robertson to rule that banning same-sex marriages is unconstitutional.
"My clients are no longer willing to wait for this issue to be a political football," lawyer Sean Foreman said at the time.
"One of my couples is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year so it's very important to them that they secure this right to marry now."
Now that Robertson has ruled in their favour, Nova Scotia will join Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba and the Yukon in allowing same-sex marriages.
Since 2001, the province of Nova Scotia had given gay and lesbian couples some marital rights through a domestic partnership registry.
|
