Vital Statistics: Marriage Database Data Accuracy (2005 to 2008)

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Same-sex marriages

Following provincial court rulings in 2003, vital statistics registries in Ontario and British Columbia started registering marriages of same-sex couples. In 2004, subsequent rulings by courts in five provinces (Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador) and one territory (Yukon) expanded the number of jurisdictions registering same-sex marriages. A court ruling in New Brunswick allowed same–sex marriages, a month before federal legislation legalized same–sex marriages across Canada, on July 20th, 2005. Canada became the third country in the world, after the Netherlands and Belgium, to legalize same sex marriages across its territory.

Due to this legislative change, the information identifying the sex of each spouse was partially recorded in some provinces or territories and it is not available for Ontario (2003 to 2008) and Saskatchewan (2007 and 2008).

Response rates

Item response

For 2005 to 2008, the response rates varied from 99% to 100% for most of the demographic variables on the marriage database (age, previous marital status). The response rates for birthplace of the groom and bride varied from 84% (2008) to 97% (2005). The response rates for the sex variable varied from 55% (2008) to 58% (2005).

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