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The pictures above display examples of monogamy, marriage to one person at a time. A monogamous marriage can incorporate religion through its ceremonial aspects or can even be based on the foundation of beliefs or customs (as seen on the left). A monogamous marriage can also occur via freedom of choice and having the power and control to choose your partner (as seen on the right).

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A common-law union takes place when two people decide to live together, are not married, but commit to one another and have been together for more than a year. Common-law has become more frequent, in 2011 it accounted for almost 20% of Canadian families. This can suggest that you do not need marriage to be happy, and that couples living together in harmony has become normalized and accepted.

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The images above indicate the legalization of gay marriage (same-sex) becoming legal in Canada during 2005. This was a major step for the LGBTQ+ community as couples who had been together could now commit to one another as a heterosexual couple would through marrying and celebrate their love without it being viewed as "criminal" or "illegal".

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Both polygamy (marriage to many spouses) and polyamory (open relationships or a relationship with more than one partner) are something that have gained traction all over the world, but are not as widely accepted in Canada as some other places. Canada still, as of 2020, has not legalized polygamy marriages, however polyamory relationships are legal.

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Lone-parent families can be a result of divorce, seperation, or death. In 2006, it was shown that there were four times as many female lone-parents as male lone-parents. Male-lone parents are growing at a more rapid pace however, which demonstrates acceptance of birth outside of marriage as well as legislation changes.

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Cherif Ghobrial. (2017). I'm In A Common-Law Relationship... What Property Rights Do I Have? photograph. https://www.legaltree.ca/node/2223.

Collier, N. (2015). Is polygamy next in the marriage debate? photograph, Sarah Pulliam Bailey. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/07/10/heres-why-people-are-arguing-over-whether-polygamy-is-the-next-gay-marriage-debate/.

Eichler, M. (2012, February 5). Marriage in Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/marriage-and-divorce.

Gowans, C. (2020). Relight the fire: how to fall back in love with your partner. photograph, Emine Saner. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/feb/04/relight-the-fire-how-to-fall-back-in-love-with-your-partner.

James Withers. (2016). Canada Conservatives end marriage definition in party platform. photograph. https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/canada-conservatives-end-marriage-definition-party-platform/.

LightField Studios. (2019). One in four children grow up in a single-parent family - so why is there still a stigma? photograph, Nicola Carroll. https://theconversation.com/one-in-four-children-grow-up-in-a-single-parent-family-so-why-is-there-still-a-stigma-126562.

Tonolini, N. (2020). 14 Hindu Wedding Ceremony Traditions You Need to Know. photograph, Jaimie Mackey and Sharbari Bose. https://www.brides.com/hindu-wedding-ceremony-rituals-traditions-4795869.

Trueba, F. (2018). Why same-sex marriage is not the ultimate tool for queer liberation. photograph, Vinita Srivastava. https://theconversation.com/why-same-sex-marriage-is-not-the-ultimate-tool-for-queer-liberation-103702.

Ward, P. (2006, February 7). History of Marriage and Divorce. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-marriage-and-divorce.