This ruling did not affect the legal definition of marriage, and applied only to cohabiting partners in a common-law marriage, who have significantly fewer rights than married spouses in some areas, especially relating to division of property upon separation. Cohabitating partners of the same sex require "capacity" to marry. For example, if a married person cohabited with a married or single person, the "subsequent" cohabitation would not lead to spousal status nor would it be recognized or sanctioned in provincial family law courts. {s.293 Criminal Code of Canada} Legal recognition of polygamous conjugal unions is itself a crime in Canada, hence no family court or religious authority can sanction or recognize polygamous unions without breaking the law.