General

Polygamy is still illegal, right?

B.C.’s attorney-general asks the Supreme Court to settle the question once and for all

B.C Attorney-General Mike de Jong wants to quash any “lingering doubts” about whether polygamy is indeed illegal in Canada. On Thursday, de Jong called on the Supreme Court to help him do so. By asking the highest court to rule on the legality of a ban on polygamy, de Jong says he he hopes to “put a human face” on the debate. Tensions ran high last month, as the province was making its case against Winston Blackmore and James Oler for having multiple wives. The Supreme Court put an end to the case, ruling that the province’s prosecution was unfair. But de Jong remains adamant that “polygamy is against the law” and that its prohibition is in line with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

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