Canada's polygamy laws upheld by B.C. Supreme Court

[jimmy olsen]

Interesting. 

What happens if someone from a muslim country tries to immigrant to Canada and he has more than one wife? Does he have to divorce them?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/11/23/bc-polygamy-ruling-supreme-court.html

Canada's polygamy laws upheld by B.C. Supreme Court

CBC News
Posted: Nov 23, 2011 10:06 AM PT
Last Updated: Nov 23, 2011 11:28 AM PT

B.C. Supreme Court has upheld Canada's polygamy laws, but said minors who end up in polygamous marriages should be exempt from prosecution.

In a 335-page decision released on Wednesday, Chief Justice Robert Bauman ruled in favour of the section of the Criminal Code outlawing polygamous unions.

But he suggested the law shouldn't be used to criminalize minors who find themselves married into polygamous unions.

"I have concluded that this case is essentially about harm," Bauman writes.

"More specifically, Parliament's reasoned apprehension of harm arising out of the practice of polygamy. This includes harm to women, to children, to society and to the institution of monogamous marriage."

The decision follows 42-days of legal arguments from a wide variety of groups interested in the constitutionality of Section 293 of the Criminal Code.

B.C. welcomes decision

The ruling was welcomed by B.C. Attorney General Shirley Bond in Victoria, who called the decision a "landmark" ruling, that sends a clear message upholding the laws.

"As Chief Justice Robert Bauman recognized, this case is about two competing visions — one of personal harm versus state intrusion. As he clearly found, there is profound harm associated with polygamy, particularly for women and children. Bond said she was very pleased with the result, but would not say if B.C. intended to launch a third attempt to prosecute polygamists in the religious community of Bountiful.

B.C.'s former attorney general Wally Oppal originally asked the court to answer two questions about Canada's polygamy laws: whether the law is consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and what the necessary elements of the offence are.

Opponents of the legislation argued that the law is an affront to the most basic rights guaranteed under the charter – freedom of religion and the freedom of association.

But Bauman concluded "women in polygamous relationships are at an elevated risk of physical and psychological harm. They face higher rates of domestic violence and abuse, including sexual abuse."

He also pointed out higher mortality rates of children born into polygamous families, the dangers of early sexualization of girls, gender inequality, and the problem of so-called lost boys – young men turfed out of polygamous communities as a result of competition for young brides.

Bauman acknowledged the infringement of the law on rights guaranteed by the charter, but concludes those limits are reasonable given the prohibition's objectives. But he suggests a change to the way the law is interpreted as it applies to children between ages 12 and 17 who marry into polygamy.

He said the law would criminalize children – amounting to a serious impairment of "young persons' liberty interests."

Failed prosecution led to test case

Bauman spent several months hearing testimony and legal arguments about whether the 121-year-old ban on multiple marriages is constitutional.

The landmark hearings, which wrapped up in April, focused on the polygamous community of Bountiful, B.C., but the ruling is expected to have implications for polygamists in the Muslim community and for those who practise polyamoury, or having multiple marriage partners outside a religious context.

The constitutional test case was prompted by the failed prosecution of two men from Bountiful who were charged in 2009 with practising polygamy.

The B.C. government then asked the court to rule whether Canada's polygamy laws violated the Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Residents of Bountiful follow the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, which, unlike the mainstream Mormon church, holds polygamy as a tenet of the faith.

The court heard evidence that teenage girls in Bountiful were taken across the Canada-U.S. border to be married, prompting RCMP in January to announce a renewed criminal investigation into the community about 1,000 people in southeastern B.C.

The provincial and federal governments have pointed to the inability to lay charges, under the polygamy law or any other, as a reason to uphold the multiple marriage ban.

The polygamy law, the governments said, is the only way to prevent and punish such crimes in a closed religious community that shuns outside scrutiny and where the plural wives themselves are unwilling to co-operate with police.

Challengers argued the Criminal Code covers offences such as sexual exploitation, human trafficking and kidnapping. Polygamy, they claim, isn't the issue.

[Barrister]

Already posted in the Canadian election thread.

[jimmy olsen]

Already posted in the Canadian election thread.

That elections long over. The thread should be killed.

[Cecil]

Or rename it into some sort of general canadian politics thread. Its pretty much used as such anyhow.

[The Brain]

Ah, the nanny state.

[Jacob]

Already posted in the Canadian election thread.

That elections long over. The thread should be killed.

Screw you.

[Barrister]

Already posted in the Canadian election thread.

That elections long over. The thread should be killed.

Screw you.

Thats what he keeps hoping for.

[Ed Anger]

Already posted in the Canadian election thread.

That elections long over. The thread should be killed.

Screw you.

You are okay for a Dane.

[Grey Fox]

Interesting. 

What happens if someone from a muslim country tries to immigrant to Canada and he has more than one wife? Does he have to divorce them?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/11/23/bc-polygamy-ruling-supreme-court.html

Canada's polygamy laws upheld by B.C. Supreme Court

CBC News
Posted: Nov 23, 2011 10:06 AM PT
Last Updated: Nov 23, 2011 11:28 AM PT

B.C. Supreme Court has upheld Canada's polygamy laws, but said minors who end up in polygamous marriages should be exempt from prosecution.

In a 335-page decision released on Wednesday, Chief Justice Robert Bauman ruled in favour of the section of the Criminal Code outlawing polygamous unions.

But he suggested the law shouldn't be used to criminalize minors who find themselves married into polygamous unions.

"I have concluded that this case is essentially about harm," Bauman writes.

"More specifically, Parliament's reasoned apprehension of harm arising out of the practice of polygamy. This includes harm to women, to children, to society and to the institution of monogamous marriage."

The decision follows 42-days of legal arguments from a wide variety of groups interested in the constitutionality of Section 293 of the Criminal Code.

B.C. welcomes decision

The ruling was welcomed by B.C. Attorney General Shirley Bond in Victoria, who called the decision a "landmark" ruling, that sends a clear message upholding the laws.

"As Chief Justice Robert Bauman recognized, this case is about two competing visions — one of personal harm versus state intrusion. As he clearly found, there is profound harm associated with polygamy, particularly for women and children. Bond said she was very pleased with the result, but would not say if B.C. intended to launch a third attempt to prosecute polygamists in the religious community of Bountiful.

B.C.'s former attorney general Wally Oppal originally asked the court to answer two questions about Canada's polygamy laws: whether the law is consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and what the necessary elements of the offence are.

Opponents of the legislation argued that the law is an affront to the most basic rights guaranteed under the charter – freedom of religion and the freedom of association.

But Bauman concluded "women in polygamous relationships are at an elevated risk of physical and psychological harm. They face higher rates of domestic violence and abuse, including sexual abuse."

He also pointed out higher mortality rates of children born into polygamous families, the dangers of early sexualization of girls, gender inequality, and the problem of so-called lost boys – young men turfed out of polygamous communities as a result of competition for young brides.

Bauman acknowledged the infringement of the law on rights guaranteed by the charter, but concludes those limits are reasonable given the prohibition's objectives. But he suggests a change to the way the law is interpreted as it applies to children between ages 12 and 17 who marry into polygamy.

He said the law would criminalize children – amounting to a serious impairment of "young persons' liberty interests."

Failed prosecution led to test case

Bauman spent several months hearing testimony and legal arguments about whether the 121-year-old ban on multiple marriages is constitutional.

The landmark hearings, which wrapped up in April, focused on the polygamous community of Bountiful, B.C., but the ruling is expected to have implications for polygamists in the Muslim community and for those who practise polyamoury, or having multiple marriage partners outside a religious context.

The constitutional test case was prompted by the failed prosecution of two men from Bountiful who were charged in 2009 with practising polygamy.

The B.C. government then asked the court to rule whether Canada's polygamy laws violated the Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Residents of Bountiful follow the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, which, unlike the mainstream Mormon church, holds polygamy as a tenet of the faith.

The court heard evidence that teenage girls in Bountiful were taken across the Canada-U.S. border to be married, prompting RCMP in January to announce a renewed criminal investigation into the community about 1,000 people in southeastern B.C.

The provincial and federal governments have pointed to the inability to lay charges, under the polygamy law or any other, as a reason to uphold the multiple marriage ban.

The polygamy law, the governments said, is the only way to prevent and punish such crimes in a closed religious community that shuns outside scrutiny and where the plural wives themselves are unwilling to co-operate with police.

Challengers argued the Criminal Code covers offences such as sexual exploitation, human trafficking and kidnapping. Polygamy, they claim, isn't the issue.

It happens often. I guess they have to pick one of them & pretend the others are cousins, like the Shafia did.

[Eddie Teach]

You are okay for a Dane.

The best Danes are dogs.

[Razgovory]

You are okay for a Dane.

The best Danes are dogs.

I like those pastries.

[jimmy olsen]

You are okay for a Dane.

The best Danes are dogs.

Actually, those dogs are from Germany and in almost all languages but English are called the German dog or the German mastiff.

[Grey Fox]

You are okay for a Dane.

The best Danes are dogs.

Actually, those dogs are from Germany and in almost all languages but English are called the German dog or the German mastiff.

And that is why English fails.

[Jacob]

Actually, those dogs are from Germany and in almost all languages but English are called the German dog or the German mastiff.

Are you speaking of the Great Dane? Which is called a Grand Danois in French? And a Dänischer Hund in German? And Gran Danés in Spanish?

[crazy canuck]

You are okay for a Dane.

The best Danes are dogs.

Actually, those dogs are from Germany and in almost all languages but English are called the German dog or the German mastiff.

And that is why English fails.

English fails because Timmay got something wrong?