Canadian Special Prosecutor Urges Court Test of Polygamy Laws

In Canada, according to a Reuters report yesterday, a special prosecutor has recommended to British Columbia's attorney general that Canadian courts be asked to rule on the constitutionality of Canada's laws prohibiting polygamy. Prosecutors traditionally have been hesitant to file charges under the law, fearing that it would be struck down as infringing freedom of religion. At the same time, the independent prosecutor Richard Peck supported the decision of provincial prosecutors not to file criminal charges against members of the polygamous FLDS Church community in Bountiful, BC.