Couples celebrate marriage equality with mass vow renewal

WATCH ABOVE: Monday will mark a major milestone in our countries history. It’ll be 10 years since Canada enacted the Civil Marriage Act and legalized same-sex marriage. To celebrate the occasion, couples from across Halifax came together and renewed their vows. Global’s Natasha Pace reports.

HALIFAX — Twenty seven married couples came together today to renew their vows in front of Halifax’s city hall. Next week will mark ten years of equality for same-sex couples from one end our of country to the other.

Beatrice Salsman and Susan Marsden were one of the first couples to tie the knot in the region once it became legal. Salsman says this year is an important one for them. “It’s 20 years together, 10 years married, and it’s my 60th coming up, so it’s a significant year for that.”

The pair were also the first openly gay couple to adopt a child in New Brunswick.

“We adopted a child, five years earlier and so as soon as we could get married and B could have equal rights for parenting, it was very important for us,” Marsden tells Global News.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We adopted a child, five years earlier and so as soon as we could get married and B could have equal rights for parenting, it was very important for us," Marsden tells Global News.

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The civil marriage act was enacted on July 20, 2005. At the time, Canada was only the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
Friday, many couples took the opportunity to recommit their love in front of their family and friends.

Mayor Mike Savage acted as a ceremonial officiant for couples who wanted to re-new their vows in Halifax to mark the occasion. A decade ago, he was an MP and part of the historic vote in the House of Commons.

WATCH: Mayor Mike Savage talks about “You’re Still the One”

“I think now, 10 years later, we see the United States Supreme Court, we see the people of Ireland voting overwhelmingly, we see 20, or 25 countries allowing gays and lesbians, transgender and bisexual couples to be married and I think it’s worth celebrating,” Mayor Savage told Global News.

Among those who came out to celebrate equality by renewing their vows was Halifax’s Chief of Police.

“I’m just crazy about her,” Jean-Michel Blais says of his wife of 13-years, Marianne Mallais. “It’s a great chance for me to affirm publicly, which I didn’t the chance to do the first time because it was a very, very private ceremony with only 5 of us there, to tell the world how much I love my wife.”