After the rejection, they filed suit against the Government of Quebec, alleging that its refusal to perform and recognise same-sex marriage violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charte canadienne des droits et libertés).
[a] Two conservative organisations, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Catholic Civil Rights League, were granted intervenor status in the case, Hendricks and Leboeuf v. Quebec.
The provincial and federal governments had initially opposed the court bid; provincial Attorney General Paul Bégin argued that "gays and lesbians were not suffering any form of discrimination in [Quebec]", while federal Attorney General Anne McLellan argued that the definition of marriage was at the Parliament of Canada's discretion and not a matter for the courts to decide.
[4] A lawyer representing the conservative religious groups argued that if the court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage "[h]is heterosexual clients would no longer be able to marry.
Daniel Cere, a Catholic professor at McGill University, who filed an affidavit for the court, said that same-sex marriage "would fracture the basis of shared religious and civil peace in the province".
Rabbi David Novak also filed an affidavit for the court, stating that same-sex marriage would "create a schism between Jews and the rest of society", and said that Judaism "expect[ed] them [gay people] to remain celibate for life".
[4] Hendricks and Leboeuf immediately sought a marriage licence; the usual 20-day waiting period was waived, and they were wed on April 1 at the Palais de justice in Montreal.
[11] The following table shows the number of marriages and civil unions performed in Quebec as per data published by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
[13] The Diocese of Ottawa, which encompasses parts of western Quebec, including the Outaouais region, has also allowed solemnisations of same-sex marriages since 2016.
[15] Bishop Bruce Myers expressed disappointment in July 2019 when the Anglican Church of Canada narrowly rejected a motion to approve same-sex marriage.
[18] Similarly, the Diocese of The Arctic, encompassing the northern Nunavik region, does not allow its parishes to perform same-sex marriages.