“The answer depends on the law that you're looking at. Under most, but not all, federal legislation you become a spouse or common-law partner after living together for one year; under most, but not all, provincial legislation you become a spouse after living together for two years. The CRA operates under the federal Income Tax Act, and so you'd be a spouse for the CRA after one year. For the purposes of BC's Family Relations Act, you need to have lived together for an additional year.”
