Same-sex marriage in Alberta: The province of Alberta began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples on July 20, 2005 upon the granting of Royal Assent to the Civil Marriage Act. Alberta has historically been Canada's most conservative province on social and religious matters, although a EKOS/CBC poll in 2002 indicated that attitudes towards same-sex marriage may be more supportive in Alberta than they are in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, both of which recognized same-sex marriage earlier.[1]