Canadian Court Will Hear Challenge To Polygamy Law Today

Today the Supreme Court of the Canadian province of British Columbia will begin to hear arguments on the validity Criminal Code Sec. 293, Canada's laws banning polygamy.  The Toronto Globe & Mail reports that over 30 witnesses are expected to testify, including members of the polygamous FLDS community of Bountiful. A number of organizations, on both sides of the issue, have been granted "interested person" status to make submissions to the court. The province's attorney general decided to bring the reference case to ask the court to clarify the validity of the polygamy ban under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms after unsuccessful attempts to prosecute leaders of two FLDS factions. (See prior posting.)