UPEI Student Prepares Legal Information for Same-Sex Relationships

The Community Legal Information Association of PEI (CLIA) has just released "Legal Information for Same-Sex Relationships" written by UPEI student Christopher Gillis. This pamphlet contains information on marriage, common law relationships, adoption/children, divorce, division of property, family violence and end of life issues.

"PEI was the second last province in the country to deal with the re-definition of marriage. As an Islander I am proud to have been a part of this project. The community has been waiting a long time for this," says Gillis who coordinated the project. "Currently, the only piece of legislation amended to deal with the new definition is our Marriage Act. I am confident that in time our provincial government will continue to work diligently to amend all legislation and bring it in line with federal law."

"On PEI there seemed to be confusion that existed around our laws and how they pertain to same-sex relationships," says CLIA Executive Director Ann Sherman. "The pamphlet we have published brings a new light to these laws and the issues same-sex couples could face. This information allows people to understand exactly where they stand in the eyes of our laws."

The Community Legal Information Association of Prince Edward Island Inc. is a non-profit corporation and a registered charity. CLIA's goal is to provide Islanders with understandable, useful information about our laws and our justice system. Funding assistance for this project was provided by Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation. For more information or to receive a copy of the publication, contact CLIA at 902-892-0853 or clia@cliapei.ca.