Federal Marriage Legislation‪.‬

Ronald C. Stevenson is a retired judge of the Court of Queens Bench of New Brunswick and at one time (1960-1966) was Clerk of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly. Since retiring he has been an honorary research associate at the University of New Brunswick Law School. In every society and religion there are rules prohibiting marriages between certain persons within defined familial relationships. Generally the prohibitions apply to persons closely related either by consanguity (blood relatives) or by affinity (relatives by marriage). Since 1867 Parliament has enacted five Public Acts of general application and eleven Private Acts to authorize marriages of couples who sought exemptions from these prohibitions. The Private Acts, passed between 1975 and 1984, prompted a review of the law and resulted in the enactment in 1990 of a statute that redefines the prohibitions. This article outlines the evolution of marriage law and the decline of religious influence on attitudes towards it.