Same-sex marriages on the rise in Canada: Census

OTTAWA (AFP) - The number of same-sex marriages in Canada nearly tripled from 2006, according to a 2011 census released Wednesday that revealed a dramatic shift in the makeup of Canadian families.

The data showed that married couples overall declined as a proportion of all families during the period, but still formed the predominant family structure, accounting for two-thirds of all families.

In contrast, the number of declared same-sex couples has skyrocketed since same-sex marriage was legalised in Canada in July 2005.

The census counted 64,575 same-sex couples in 2011, up 42.4 percent from 2006. Of these, 21,015 were same-sex married couples (up 181.5 per cent) and 43,560 were same-sex common-law couples (up 15 per cent).