A recent report by Statistics Canada has revealed than 56%f of the same-sex weddings celebrated in Canada involved non-Canadian couples, making the country an international gay wedding ‘hot spot’.
The report also discovered that 3.5% of the marriages in the province of British Columbia were same-sex. Again, more than half of those marriages involved non-Canadian citizens.
Actually, the statistics show the number of Canadians getting married dropped by half over the past 60 years and if it hadn’t been for the legalization of same-sex marriage the drop would have been even bigger.
Statistics Canada compiled information from same-sex weddings in Canada during 2003. That year Ontario and British Columbia legalized same-sex marriages and Canada was the only country allowing non-residents to have same-sex marriages.
News website Canoe.ca published the reaction of Kaj Hasselriis, executive director of Egale Canada, “It’s a positive thing for couples who want to be legally married, and it’s a positive thing for Canada because it enhances our reputation as a country that is very open and progressive.”
Hasselriis also added “Many have used their marriage in Canada to try to advance their legal fight in their own countries, including Israel and Ireland”.
Same-sex weddings in Canada are also being a new drive for Canada’s tourism industry and the country’s economy. Same-sex marriage was legalized for the first time in Ontario and British Columbia provinces in 2003. Then it went to be legal across the whole country in 2005.
