Press Release

September 6, 2002(?)

Quebec Court Rules: Opposite-Sex Definition of Marriage Unconstitutional

In a landmark decision released late today, the Quebec Court ruled that the opposite-sex definition of marriage is discriminatory and cannot be justified under s.1 of the Charter. This decision confirms a recent Ontario judgment in favour of same-sex marriage. The Court suspended its declaration for 2 years to give Parliament a chance to act. “The Court has once again affirmed that the ban on same-sex marriage is discriminatory and unconstitutional,” said John Fisher, Executive Director of Egale. “The Court has also sent the message loud and clear to Parliament: stop discriminating against same-sex couples and respect the Constitution. The time to act is now. We call upon Parliament to act now in accordance with the Court’s decision and allow same-sex couples to marry. How long must Canadians in same-sex relationships wait for equality?”

The Court recognized that the 30-year relationship of the applicants, Michael Hendricks & René LeBoeuf, was already a marriage in everything but name.

For further information:
John Fisher, Egale Canada: cell: 613-291-5187
Claude Côté, Egale Board Member (Montreal): 514-525-6910
Applicants :
Michael Hendricks & René LeBoeuf : 514-522-9851 (h); 514-844-2477 x 28

Egale Canada ©2010

Advancing equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-identified people and their families across Canada