Same-sex marriage in the Northwest Territories has been legal since July 20, 2005. The Canadian territory began granting marriage licences to same-sex couples upon the granting of royal assent to the federal Civil Marriage Act. The Northwest Territories had been one of only four provinces and territories, with Alberta, Nunavut and Prince Edward Island, where same-sex marriage had not already been legalised by court challenges prior to the passage of the federal law. Legal proceedings In December 2004, Justice Minister Charles Dent stated that the Northwest Territories Government would not issue marriage licences to same-sex couples until a court ruling or federal legislation legalised them. However, he indicated that the territory would not contest any lawsuit on the subject, and would comply with such a ruling or law. On May 20, 2005, a Yellowknife couple, Jason Perrino and Colin Snow, sued the Territorial Government over the right to get married, arguing that refusing them a licence was a violation of their Charter rights. The territorial Supreme Court was supposed to hear the case on May 27, 2005; however, it was adjourned for three weeks at the request of a couple who wanted intervenor status in the case to oppose same-sex marriage. Ruby and Laurin Trudel of Yellowknife applied to intervene in the lawsuit. They had been members of Yellowknife's Evangelical Lutheran Church until it started to share communion and the pulpit with the United Church, a denomination which had begun blessing same-sex unions. The couple was granted intervenor status, and on June 17, 2005, CBC North reported that the intervenors had requested party status in the case. If it had been granted by the territorial Supreme Court, it would have given them more direct involvement in the case, and the right to appeal in the event the judge sided with the plaintiffs' request to allow same-sex marriage in the territory. The case was again put off again for nearly another three weeks, and was set to resume on July 6. On June 30, the financial support for the Trudels evaporated. Their lawyer withdrew his services, and the Trudels decided to proceed alone, without legal representation. On July 6, Ruby Trudel, alone, testified before the Supreme Court. She apologised to the court for her lack of knowledge of court procedures, and said that she was not homophobic: "While we do not support, encourage or endorse their lifestyle, we hold nothing against