Canada was the first North American country to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, in 2005.
The change followed a series of court decisions beginning in the early 2000s, when courts in several provinces and territories found that excluding same-sex couples from civil marriage violated equality rights under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Before nationwide legislation, marriages were already being performed in a number of jurisdictions.
Parliament then passed the Civil Marriage Act. It received royal assent on July 20, 2005, giving same-sex couples across Canada equal civil access to marriage. Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize it nationally, after the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain.
The wording “North American” matters. The Netherlands was the first country worldwide in 2001, while Canada was first in North America. Mexico followed with nationwide recognition in 2010, and the United States recognized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015 after Obergefell v. Hodges.