them personally." She said that those who promote the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage have been "rendered voiceless at the federal level." Actually, the debates in the Canadian Senate were in full swing at that time. She expressed concern over the possibility of persecution of Christian clergy if same-sex marriage were to become legalised. She said: "If the application before this court were to succeed, there is every reason to believe that repercussions against people of conscience and religion....will soon begin to occur here also." They asked that the court not impose costs on them: "Costs incurred to this point already exceed our ability to pay." A ruling never came from the territorial Supreme Court, and royal assent was granted to the Civil Marriage Act on July 20, 2005, legalising same-sex marriage nationwide in Canada. Perrino and Snow were awarded $5,000 in legal fees to cover court costs. On October 17, 2005, Supreme Court Justice Virginia Schuler ordered the Federal Government, and therefore Canadian taxpayers, to reimburse the plaintiffs for costs they incurred during their legal challenge. Perrino and Snow married following the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the territory. Territorial legislation In June 2002, the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories approved amendments to the Adoption Act allowing same-sex couples to adopt children jointly, and the Family Law Act changing the definition of spouse to grant same-sex couples limited legal rights. Further legislation was passed in March 2005. On March 7, 2017, the Legislative Assembly approved the Marriage Act. The Act defines marriage as "a voluntary union of two persons to the exclusion of all others", and uses gender-neutral language when referring to spouses. It received royal assent by interim Commissioner Gerald Kisoun on March 10, and went into effect on June 1, 2017. Marriage statistics The 2016 Canadian census showed that there were 75 same-sex couples living in the Northwest Territories. Religious performance In July 2019, the synod of the Anglican Church of Canada narrowly rejected a motion to authorise same-sex marriage and allow clergy in the church to officiate at such marriages. 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. Clergy of the Diocese of The Arctic, including Bishop David Parsons, have been vocally opposed to the solemnisation of same-sex marriages within the church. Following the passage of the resolution,