§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of the judicial decision of Dunbar v Yukon & Canada 2004 YKSC 54 that marriages in the Canadian province of Yukon should not be restricted to opposite sex couples, they will add Yukon to Schedule 20 to the Civil Partnership Act 2004. [HL624]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalWe are keeping the list of specified relationships in Schedule 20 under review, in order to take account of any legal changes that have occurred in countries such as Canada since the Civil Partnership Act received Royal Assent. We are aware of the recent case law in the Yukon territory of Canada. We are also aware that the federal government of Canada intend to introduce a Bill next month that would legalise same-sex marriage across Canada and that, if passed, would become law later this year.
It is too early to make any decisions about changes to the list in Schedule 20 at this stage, but appropriate changes will be made prior to commencement of the Civil Partnership Act.