Story:One of the biggest arguments for gay marriage - and in this writer's opinion it's the only one that counts - is that all consenting adults should have the basic freedom to choose who they want to marry. It just seems like common sense. I love you. You love me, and we want to spend the rest of our lives together - so let's get hitched.
It's a private and intimate matter between two people, and nobody else should interfere, especially the government.
Fortunately, most Canadians feel the same way, and gay marriage wasn't the big issue here that it was - and continues to be - in the United States.
In Canada, you have that freedom of choice no matter who you are.
Until now, that is.
As of Monday, March 18, every single British Columbian lost that freedom to choose his or her own spouse and chart their romantic destiny when the government updated the B.C. Family Law Act.
Now, once an unmarried couple spends two years living together, they're considered legally married. That means if you live with a partner for more than two years and break up, they could get half your stuff, or you could even be on the hook for their support.
That's right. You can be married and go through a messy legal separation without ever having signed a paper, or said, "I do."
One of the arguments commonly spouted against gay marriage - and likely the most ridiculous and unfounded - is that it "diminishes the sanctity of marriage" or somehow takes away the legitimacy of so-called "straight" marriages. But this updated B.C. Family Law Act actually does take something from "real" marriages - gay and straight. Any compelling reason to get married has been effectively rendered obsolete by the new legislation unless you're doing it simply for the ritual, or party afterwards.
And is two years really long enough to live with someone and really know they're "the one?" It seems like such a short and arbitrary timeframe.
It just seems to make more sense to have laws similar to those in other provinces like Quebec, where you can live together all you want, but aren't legally (and bindingly) married until you make the conscious choice to do so yourself as a couple.
It's a sure bet that with this updated law, more and more couples will continue to live apart and date instead of shacking up to avoid any cantankerous legal ramifications and obligations, and the only people who will really benefit from this updated law - will be divorce lawyers. - Steven Hill
