of Queen's Bench in chambers on November 3, 2004. On November 5, 2004, the judge ruled that excluding same-sex couples from marriage violated the Charter's right to equality and that the common-law definition was discriminatory, thereby bringing same-sex marriage to Saskatchewan.N.W. v. Canada (Attorney General), 2004 SKQB 434 (CanLII), para. [4]. Newfoundland and Labrador decision Two lesbian couples brought suit on November 4, 2004, to have Newfoundland and Labrador recognize same-sex marriage. As with the previous decisions, the provincial government did not oppose the suit; moreover, the federal government actually supported it. The case went to trial on December 20 and the next day, Justice Derek Green ordered the provincial government to begin issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples, an order with which the provincial government announced it would comply. New Brunswick decision Two same-sex couples in New Brunswick brought suit in April 2005 to request an order requiring the provincial government to issue them marriage licences. This was granted in June 2005. Premier Bernard Lord, who personally opposed same-sex marriage, pledged to follow a directive to provide for same-sex marriages from the courts or from Parliament. Proceedings in the Northwest Territories On May 20, 2005, a gay male couple with a daughter brought suit in the Northwest Territories for the right to marry. Territorial Justice Minister Charles Dent had previously said that the government would not contest such a lawsuit. The case was to be heard on May 27 but ended when the federal government legalized same-sex marriage. Discussion in Parliament, 1995–2003 The shift in Canadian attitudes towards acceptance of same-sex marriage and recent court rulings caused the Parliament of Canada to reverse its position on the issue. On September 18, 1995, the House of Commons voted 124 to 52 to reject a motion introduced by openly gay member of Parliament Réal Ménard calling for the legal recognition of same-sex relationships. A 2006 study by Mark W. Lehman suggested that between 1997 and 2004, Canadian public opinion on legalizing same-sex marriage underwent a dramatic shift, moving from minority support to majority support and that this support was the result of a significant shift in positive feelings towards gays and lesbians. The first bill to legalize same-sex marriage was a private member's bill tabled in the House of Commons by New Democratic MP Svend Robinson on March 25, 1998. Like most private members' bills, it did not progress past first