partners lack some of the rights and benefits afforded to married couples, namely that they do not enjoy the same property and inheritance rights as married spouses upon the breakdown of the relationship or the death of the partner. Goods that were purposely intended and acquired for common use by the couple will generally be divided upon separation, but goods acquired by one partner only will generally not be divided and only the partner that purchased the goods will be entitled to them. This is not the case for married couples, as the Marital Property Act provides an equal division of marital property to married spouses. Common-law partners are also not recognised as an heir upon the death of the partner and may not inherit the partner's property, unless explicitly mentioned in a will. However, the Provision for Dependants Act allows a surviving common-law partner to ask a court to order the deceased partner's estate to provide support based on a "dependant" status if the deceased partner did not provide for the surviving partner through a will. Marriage statistics The 2016 Canadian census showed that there were 1,435 same-sex couples living in New Brunswick. Religious performance Bishop David Edwards of the Diocese of Fredericton voted against a motion to authorise same-sex marriage in the Anglican Church of Canada in July 2019. The motion to permit same-sex marriage was narrowed rejected, and instead the church synod passed a resolution known as "A Word to the Church", allowing its dioceses to choose whether to perform same-sex marriages. Edwards supported the resolution, later saying that "during the Fall, discussions will take place in dioceses across the country, including ours, as to how to respond to the outcome of General Synod". The Unitarian Fellowship of Fredericton, a congregation of the Canadian Unitarian Council, has been performing same-sex marriage ceremonies since the 1960s. Public opinion A 2017 CROP poll showed that 78% of respondents in Atlantic Canada supported same-sex marriage, but did not give a figure for each Atlantic province individually. Nationwide, 74% of Canadians were of the same view, while 26% disagreed. See also Same-sex marriage in Canada LGBT rights in Canada References External links Harrison v. AG of Canada, 2005 NBQB 232 New Brunswick Politics of New Brunswick New Brunswick law 2005 in LGBT history