Polygamy charges against Bountiful leaders dropped

The author of 'The Secret Lives of Saints' shares her reaction to a B.C. court decision to drop all polygamy charges against two leaders of the controversial religious sect in Bountiful, B.C.

CTV National News: Rob Brown on the case

A British Columbia court has dropped polygamy charges against two controversial religious leaders, but the two argue they were being unfairly targeted by former B.C. attorney general Wally Oppal.

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Winston Blackmore the religious leader of the polygamous community of Bountiful located near Creston, B.C., shares a laugh with six of his daughters and some of his grand children Monday, April 21, 2008. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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I once saw a polygamist on TV saying that polygamy prevents adultery. Get with the program, polygamy IS adultery.

Maybe I would support polygamy when I see 50 to 60 year old men marrying only 50 to 60 year old women, not teenagers! Anyone think that this would happen?

Deb

Polygamy charges against Bountiful leaders dropped

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Polygamy charges against Bountiful leaders dropped

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Wed. Sep. 23 2009 8:29 PM ET

A British Columbia court has thrown out polygamy charges against two controversial religious leaders in the province.

Winston Blackmore and James Oler were arrested and charged with one count of polygamy earlier this year.

The men are rival leaders of sects of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Bountiful, B.C. The sects broke away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints more than a century ago when the Morman church renounced polygamy.

In Wednesday's decision, B.C. Supreme Court Judge Sunni Stromberg-Stein said that the province's attorney general did not have the jurisdiction to appoint a second special prosecutor to consider charges against the men.

Oler and Blackmore's lawyer argued then-attorney general Wally Oppal went "special prosecutor shopping" after the first special prosecutor recommended against laying charges.

Stromberg-Stein agreed and said the decision to charge the men was "unlawful."

Prosecutors charged that Blackmore has 19 wives and Oler, 3.

Blackmore has admitted to having more than one wife publicly.

Police have launched a number of investigations into polygamy in Bountiful, but prosecutors have worried polygamy charges wouldn't survive a legal challenge under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In 2005, the RCMP launched their latest investigation and two years later, recommended charges be filed.

Whether the men could be charged again remains in the air, as the judge squashed the appointment of the second "special prosecutor," not the charges.

With files from The Canadian Press

Comments are now closed for this story

LH
said
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I'm confused. So bigamy is illegal but polygamy isn't? Aren't they basically the same idea?

faye
said
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Grants comments about multiple girlfriends is valid. However. Should the girlfriends be underage and forced into the home and forced into unwanted relationships it would not be legal and therefore not splitting hairs. This is not about multiple wives as much as old men going after young girls in the name of God. They will be judged but maybe not by a human.

James Barth
said
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We may disagree with the decision of the judge and it may not be legal (there are worse crimes) but, As long as all the wives are of legal age and if they can support nineteen wives and all the children in a happy loving home all the power to him. Me, one was enough.

John
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You can thank the Charter of Rights and Freedom for this fiasco.

Lauren
said
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My issue with polygamy is not that men are marrying multiple women but that they are often times older men marrying young girls who lack education and global scope. These girls are married young and any education they receive is often religious brainwashing.
If you aren't allowed to learn that there are other options available to you, how are you supposed to make educated choices?

Willa Dean
said
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The women and female children in these 'communes' are repressed. They are much like the 'Stepford Wives' .. all the same, devoid of expressions on their faces and robotic in nature. This is good for them? What kind of life can these young females face being transported around the different 'communes' to marry them off to old men? Is this what you would want for any female memeber of your family? I think NOT! Too bad the B.C. judicial system did not go about this correctly - they've now lost an opportunity to stop this...

The Other Lowell in BC
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I suppose in the case of polygamy it is all about consent. If a man is forcing someone in the name of religion to do something against their will, then it is definitely wrong. But I suppose that brings up a host of other questions regarding emotional dependencies that religious practices put on their followers.

Ian
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There are some religions, that have rituals where animals and sometimes people are sacrificed. Would you still believe in freedom of religion if your daughter/wife etc were raped or sacrificed as a part of their religion? Freedom of religion means that you can practice your religion as long as it is within the laws of the society you live in.

DL
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Joe C from St. Thomas ON says: "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation." - Pierre Trudeau, 1967" Ironically, since then the moral fabric of this country has been a downward spiral - anything is allowed!
It won't be long before society will crack at the seams.

Ian
said
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Technicalities win again! These "learned" judges can't see the forest for the trees.

Jim - North Saanich, BC
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Only in Canada you say - pity.

BRYAN
said
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I can't say that I agree with polygamy but we have a charter of rights and freedom. If these men are being responsible and providing for their wives and family and if the woman are entering into these relationships on their own accord and are of legal age who are we to judge. Personally I have a task to keep one woman happy....go for it if you got it guys

t
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It's not polygamy that I take issue with. It's the lack of choice for the women (actually children) forced into it. It's the lack of education they are given. It's the lack of a childhood. They are turned into breeding machines and have no options.

There are so many things wrong with this and it's not polygamy because in theory (like anything in theory) there isn't anything truly horrible about it. It's the pathetic manipulative power hungry abusive men who control it that I have an issue with.

Dave in Regina
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Laws reflect our society's values. In the next election lets have a referendum about polygamy! If the answer is NO lets pass a law against it with the not withstanding cause of the charter.

james
said
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this was not a good decision, they should look at the case again, and then make a better decision, that would be more legitimate.

joan
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Gotta jump in. When are we going to see older women with multiple young husbands? Didn't think so ....seems to be a one way street!

richard nova scotia
said
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that was strange. This is another example how on weird the justice department is in this nation. Its disappointing. I believe the federal minister of justice Robert Nicholson would not be happy with this bad decision. I believe if the conservatives had a majority in parliament, and in the senate, non sense like dropping the charges would not happen. In British Columbia they have a liberal government.

Brian Rushfeldt
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This is indeed a very BLACK-more day for women and children.

Men who have no moral foundation -who argue it is a religous belief can now do just about anything they want to women and children.

Indeed the federal government must lay charges again. The law has not changed. It is still criminal to marry more than one person.

Just because procedurally, charges are thrown out does not change law. In fact they now ought to lay sex related charges also if they have proof he abused under age girls.

GP
said
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It's just freedom of religion...come on people think about this.

You are advocating for anything and everything. It�s my religion to...smoke dope, publicly flog people, cut off hands, sacrifice virgins by the pale moonlight.

For goodness sakes give your heads a shake.

This religious cult traffics and subjugates women, tells them when and who they can marry, marries off minors, and will undoubtedly beat them to within an inch of death or severly mentally abuse them if they rebel. Polygamy is just the symptom.

Aylene
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I feel for the 14 year old girls that are getting raped and forced to have babies by these old men. One could only hope the "husbands" will get charged with rape and child abuse. The charges are being quashed maybe there's a possiblity that justice will be dealt yet.

becky of Calgary
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Unbelievable!!! Today's world and happenings are so unbelieveable I'm glad I'm old
But then again I guess incest
happened years ago and nobody
would believe the victims - let alone report it cuz you wouldn't be believed..
So guess not much has changed.

jk out west
said
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19 wives?? How on earth would you stickhandle through all of them to free yourself to play in a beer league hockey game??

Joe C from St. Thomas ON
said
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"There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation." - Pierre Trudeau, 1967

Sheryl
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I love the way pedophiles use religion to rape children. The Catholic church did it with priests and now this cult. The young girls in this cult are being married off to old men. It is disgusting. They have no say and probably brainwashed from an early age. What man in his right mind needs to have 19 wives?? When it comes to young girls being exploited in this way the Government SHOULD step in. I say screw religous freedoms when this sort of thing happens.

Henry Wysmulek
said
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Who in their right mind would even want more than one nagging wife to put up with?

keith
said
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If the wives are of legal age, consent and not abused in any way then who am I to stop them for finding their own happiness?

We should concentrate on stopping abuse and not dictate how peoples relationships develop.

Freedom of Religion???
said
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so if we have freedom of religion which should allow a polygomist to carry on despite the fact it is against the law, then it's ok for a jehovah's witness to deny a life saving blood transfusion for their dying child, which isn't against the law???

Michael
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This is really not a surprise. The problem is our law system is designed to work 'hands in hands' with our judicial system too.

What people may understand that oppression really does exists in our society whether you are Deaf, Gay, Black or Catholic. it is not the fact that our society seem to have a problem with our judicial system but rather the rapid speed that they feel the judicial system is moving on these ground breaking frontiers of equality issues i.e. same sex marriage recently.

To be honest with you... I don't agree with same sex marriages or yet alone polygamy issue. However I have to say that I am truly blessed that we are able to live in a free country like ours where we can live in harmony with each other at ease despite our differences or objections.

So here with this latest court ruling on polygamy charges being dropped. It seems to be a reflection of our ever changing society whether we like it or not.

After all some of you might be familiar with Ontario provincial government giving a blind eye to Muslim multiple relationships receiving financial support i.e. social assistance in province of Ontario.

So what I feel really needs to happen is clarity among our laws. We really need to have that or otherwise... we will continue to build more of 'defacto status quo' confusion. Other perfect example of this is... our marijuana laws where it is illegal to have a marijuana joint yet police or society look other way on the issue and giving the impression it is legal after all. Polygamy is other latest item like this on a confusing 'is it legal or is it not legal' list?

Kim
said
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The slippery slope beginneth....

Steve
said
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This is just an opinion, but if (and only if) the wives are consenting, why shouldn't someone be allowed to have more than one wife if they can afford it. I wouldn't even have a problem with a wife having more than one husband, if she could put up with that many guys around the house. If this is a law brought about by religion, why should this law apply to those that do not share the same faith? I'm an atheist and I don't expect everyone else to renounce their gods just because they don't share my religious beliefs. If one or more consenting adults agree, then I don't see the problem.

ljm
said
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Reply to Mark;

Polygamy does harm women and children worldwide. Most often these men marry girls when they are children or teenager and the only education these women receive is via at home religious schooling (aka brainwashing). Many are sexually, physically, emotionally, financially abused, etc. ...

Mel Blake
said
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Like any non-traditional situation, I don't see why it is society's business what people do in their personal relationships. I say let it all go. If someone wants to marry a woman, a man or one of each, and as long as no one if forced against their will, who cares? If you want more than one wife or husband, and all are agreeable to it, so be it. Only when one person is forced in a situation against their will does the law need to protect them, and there are plenty of laws against forceble confinement, kidnapping etc. to handle that.

Deb
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William / Montreal
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The person with too much power deciding things for himself was the attorney general that would not accept the advice of the first prosecutor who told them the law very likely contravened the charter of rights and freedoms and probably could not win the case.

Yes most Canadians would agree polygamy is wrong, and it is also too bad our laws are not strong enough to stand up against the freedom of religion provisions of the charter.

The BC attorney general was wrong in trying to make this case ...

david sawkiw[saskatchewan farmer]
said
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This one guy has 19 wives? All I can say is it's agood thing he does not drive a taxi in Quebec, he surely would run out of room on his dash board if he was to mount pictures of his wife[s] and family!! Man, would the courts in the belle province have there hands full writing tickets for this fellow!

Good for him, the state should not interfere with religion.

Gary Keigan
said
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Anyone brave enough to have that many wives should be let off with insanity anyway!

Ed in Alberta
said
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Another lost opportunity to put a stop to this form of sexist slavery.

"Welcome to Canada, please check your personal rights to freedom at the door".

Rick Ottawa
said
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There is a huge prejudice against the practice of polygamy. If there is incest or rape then do a proper job of investigation for those spefific crimes, not a blanket charge because of discrimination of an age old marriage practice.

What a waste of tax payer money. In today's society we have accepted adultery, serial spouses through high divorce rates, swinger clubs, legal gay marriage, and a dozen other forms of sexual relations, but we can't have polygamy.

Of couse, many women's movements have had their influence on persecuting such communities. If it were reversed, and a woman had multiple husbands, would there be such discrimination?

I am not particularily fond of polygamy, but as long as people are allowed other types of marital or quasy marital unions, why shouldn't a man have multiple wives? There are many men who have multiple girl friends and children with them, some living common law. So stop this ridiculous witch hunt and concentrate on investigating specific sexual abuses, if they exist.

Mark Smith (Montreal, QC)
said
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Why is polygamy a crime? Wake me up when they actually harm a child, harm one of their wives, or harm another human being altogether.

bc hunter
said
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I suspect the court is giving the province an easy out.

The "anti-polygamy" law would not withstand a Charter challenge; especially since there are dozens, if not hundreds, of Muslim men in Toronto with multiple wives, and Canada DOES recognize those as legll marriages.

Glad to see they've stopped wasting my tax dollars on a fight they'd never win.

JMac
said
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This country says that we have freedom of religion, if this is truly our constitutional right, then we cannot pick apart the parts of other religions that we don't agree with and charge them. ...can't have cake and eat it too....some premise as "I don't agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

Danny in Halifax
said
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That 'power' would be the Charter of Rights & Freedoms. Under it, these people are within the law and they can prove it through history. This is what happens when the rights of the individual totally overwhelm the rights of the people as a whole.

David P
said
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Once again, we have a law system, not a justice system.

These men traffic young women across borders to marry them off against their will to older men. Yet, somehow, when a prosecutor takes action on this, it's found to be unlawful.

tom in Calgary
said
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It is not that the justice system is out of control. It is our laws that they are upholding. Our judicial system is respected world wide. I don't think most Canadians realize how lucky we are in this country to have the justice system we do have.

Richard
said
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19 wives!!!!!!!!!!!
Most of the time ONE is a handful. If you want to punish him, send him back to live with them. 19 nagging wives will drive anyone insane and that is punishment enough, or is that considered torture and therefore against the law??

Sad
said
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I am incredibly saddened by this turn of events. We were so close to offering the women and children of Bountiful some hope. When are our laws going to reflect common sense?

Hubert
said
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"Who shall judge the judges?"

Robert J in Calgary
said
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Blackmore and Oler will see justice delivered if it is truly due.

grant
said
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This I just don't get is, it's legal to have as many girlfriends as you want, heck, they can all live under the same roof. You can even have children with each and every one of them. But, it you marry more than one of them, that's illegal! Kinda of splitting hairs if you ask me.

P Durk
said
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Just goes to show us how out of control the justice system has become. It's not that these men are not guilty, it's that someone with too much power decides that things weren't done properly. Give me a break!