Canadian court examines polygamy laws

A lawyer for the provincial British Columbia government is warning a judge that declaring polygamy a protected religious practice would make Canada the only Western country to allow multiple marriages.

The British Columbia Supreme Court is examining whether banning polygamy violates Canada's version of the bill of rights in a case that will focus on the small polygamous community of Bountiful, British Columbia.

Craig Jones, a lawyer for the province, said Monday all forms of polygamy contribute to the discrimination of women and the sexualization of young girls.

The BC government asked the court last year to decide whether Canada's polygamy laws are constitutional after repeated failures to prosecute the two leaders of Bountiful.  

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.