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Registered
Domestic Partnerships (RDPs)
"Only
full marriage with all of its tangible and intangible benefits, its social resonance
and its personal significance will stand up to the fair and reasonable measure
of equality that we as Canadians have as our core belief."
Kevin Bourassa
and Joe Varnell, Gay
Guide Toronto, August 2002
Registered
Domestic Partnerships, or RDPs, as they are called, are legally binding contracts,
freely entered into by two individuals who wish to formalize their relationship
without going through a marriage ceremony. They have been used for several years
in Europe as a method for gay and lesbian couples to obtain legal standing for
their relationships. The term "gay marriage" is often applied to RDPs,
but they are not marriage and have less rights and/or obligations. | "It's
not quite like getting married, although I've never been married so I don't know
what that feels like," said Kimberley Vance, after registering her partnership
with Samantha Meehan in Nova Scotia, on June 4, 2021
(The
Halifax Herald, June 5, 2021 |
Unlike
marriage, such unions are at risk of not being recognized, of no legal standing,
outside their country or province of origin.  On
June 4, 2001, the province of Nova Scotia introduced
Registered Domestic Partnerships,
which some have seen as a "first step" towards full equality for gay
and lesbian couples.
In November 2001, Quebec announced plans to implement a similar system and there
have been signs that British Columbia is also thinking of introducing RDPs.
| Registered
Domestic Partnerships are fine, provided they are offered as a choice
to any couple. It can be in addition to, but not
instead of marriage. We applaud the extension of rights to those who were
previously disadvantaged. But RDPs are not the answer to the discrimination we
face in the recognition and protection of our relationships and families. | "It's
exciting and maybe a little disappointing because there's still something in the
back of my mind that this isn't marriage," said Nicky Perkins who registered
with her partner of 18 years, Susan Perkins.
(The
Toronto Star, June 4, 2021) |
RDPs
are unacceptable when they are offered in place of marriage. Without the freedom
to choose, RDPs are nothing more than an attempt to perpetuate a social policy
of segregation. "The
introduction of a registration scheme should not be seen as a policy alternative
to reforming marriage. Registration schemes in lieu of allowing same-sex couples
to access marriage are seen, by those in favour of same-sex marriage, as creating
a second-class category of relationships."
Beyond
Conjugality (December 21, 2020)
Law Commission Of Canada
Editorial
against RDPs written by Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell: Registered
Domestic Partnerships Aren't The Answer (Gay
Guide Toronto, August 2002)
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