Editing Civil union (section)

===Canada===
{{Main|Same-sex marriage in Canada}}
[[File:Civil union map North America.svg|thumb|300px|right|'''Jurisdictions performing civil unions in North America'''
{{legend|#3F48CC|Gender-neutral civil unions.}}
{{legend|#9DECB5|Former civil unions for same-sex couples, replaced by marriage.}}
{{legend|#DDDDDD|Civil unions never performed.}}
]]
In [[Canada]]:
* [[Domestic partnership in Nova Scotia|Domestic partnerships]] in [[Nova Scotia]] (2001),
* [[Civil unions in Quebec|Civil unions]] in [[Quebec]] (2002),
* [[Common-law relationships in Manitoba|Registered common-law relationships]] in [[Manitoba]] (2002),{{efn|Manitoba law allows for same- and opposite-sex couples to voluntarily register their common-law relationship with the provincial vital statistics agency, as an alternative to the requirement to cohabit for a minimum period of time.}}
* [[Adult interdependent relationship in Alberta|Adult interdependent relationships]] in [[Alberta]] (2003)
were extended to same-sex couples before the enactment of the federal ''[[Civil Marriage Act]]'' which legalized [[same-sex marriage in Canada]] nationally.

The 1994 proposed [[Equality Rights Statute Amendment Act]] in [[Ontario]] was a notable early attempt to introduce a status similar to civil unions. It was supported by the provincial government but was defeated in the legislature.<ref name="hansard 2nd reading">{{cite web |title=Official Records for 9 June 1994 |url=http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/house-proceedings/house_detail.do?Date=1994-6-9 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013070154/http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/house-proceedings/house_detail.do?Date=1994-6-9 |archive-date=2017-10-13 |access-date=October 12, 2017 |website=House Documents |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Ontario |language=en}}</ref>

Some provinces and territories amended their family law to extend statutory benefits to same-sex couples that were equivalent to those granted to unmarried cohabiting opposite-sex couples without establishing a specific name for the partnership. For example, Ontario was required to amend its family law legislation in 1999 in response to the [[Supreme Court of Canada]]'s ruling in ''[[M v H]]''.