Generally if you've been living together for 3 years, you're already common law spouses (or in an Adult Interdependent Relationship as it's referred to in Alberta) and legally you're supposed to file as such.
As for taxes, there isn't a huge difference whether you're married or not. You might lose some credits (GST, etc.) as some of them are calculated using household income, but for the most part there isn't a huge difference. You can also transfer some credits like tuition between common law spouses where you can't between individuals, so there are some advantages as well.
But really, it's not a matter of choice. If you are living in a common law relationship and continue to declare yourself as being single on your tax returns you're submitting false information.
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