Wednesday, July 17, 2002
Canadian province to give domestic partners same property rights as married couples
A story released today by the Canadian Press reports that the Canadian province of Manitoba is planning to extend to all common-law and same-sex couples the same property rights that currently only apply to married couples.
Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh has introduced a bill that would give common-law and same-sex partners property rights after being together for three years.
The legislation would also create a registry allowing such couples to sign up at the beginning of their relationship and assume all the rights and obligations of a married couple from then on.
That means all property accumulated during the relationship would have to be split equally if there were a break-up, or, if one of the partners died, the property would automatically belong to the survivor.
Mackintosh said the NDP government believed it's necessary to extend property rights beyond married couples to clear up questions of ownership and to acknowledge the definition of families is changing.
Manitoba is the fourth province to extend property rights to common-law couples. Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan already have similar legislation. Currently in Manitoba, thirteen percent of all couples are living common law relationships.
