Name - Krish Vashist

Socials Exploration 11

I am working with ‘ BC Judge Rejects Constitutional Challenge of Polygamy Law’ case as I truly

think that it is important to draw a line between freedom of religion and extreme ideas like

women and child abuse.

Rough Work

● In the first paragraph summarize the article while explaining what's the real problem in

this case.

● In the second paragraph, write the reasons why I think this case was unsuccessful in the

first part as the B.C. 's attorney general decided not to lay charges because there was a

very narrow line between rights of religion and rights of freedom and liberty. Explain how

it turned out to be successful as the B.C. supreme court upheld the polygamy law and

laid charges on those two men.

● Use these keywords:- polygamous relationships, Criminal code, rights and freedoms, life

liberty and security, offence, probation, sentencing.

● In the final paragraph include what you think of the situation and the case. Express as

much as possible; Possibly think how this would affect the women who are married to

these men. And maybe even their children.

● Research → Winston Blackmore and James Oler, who claimed that the law violated their

charter rights. They were found guilty of having multiple wives and returned to court to

argue that the law itself was unconstitutional under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The judge rejected the argument, stating that Blackmore and Oler considered their

lifestyles above the law when they continued to marry women in Bountiful, B.C. The
 judge considered that it was more important to protect the life of women and children

than to look at the rights of religion and freedom of expression.

Rough draft

→ This case is about two polygamists, Winston Blackmore and James Oler. Both men are found

guilty of having multiple wives in B.C. Supreme of Canada in July 2017. Winston Blackmore has

married two dozen women and James Oler has married five women. They appealed the verdict,

arguing that it violated their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

However, on March 9th, 2018, their appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court judge, who ruled

in favor of women's security and freedom over the right of religion. This case was controversial

because it involved the court deciding whether a woman's safety was more important than the

right to practice one's religion. Back in 1990, RCMP completed a 13 month investigation of

Bountiful bishop Winston Blackmore, they recommended B.C’s attorney general to press

polygamy charges against him, but the attorney general of B.C. chose not to press charges due

to doubts about the constitutionality of the law with regards to religious freedom. In November,

2011 B.C. Supreme court upholds Canada’s polygamy case, Criminal code clearly indicated that

plural marriages is unconstitutional. Therefore they found Blackmore and Oler guilty of having

plural marriages.

→ The plaintiff's challenge was unsuccessful, as on June 26, 2018, Winston Blackmoore was

sentenced a six - month conditional sentence to be served under house arrest followed by a year

of probation, while James Oler term was sentenced to threemonths of house arrest, followed by

a year of probation. The case of Blackmore and Oler was unique because they were the first to

be convicted of polygamy in modern Canadian history. Both men were former bishops in the

small fundamentalist Mormon community located in southeastern B.C. They argued that the

polygamy law infringed on their charter rights to freedom of religion and expression, but the

judge rejected their arguments, stating that their actions were above the law.
The decision in this case has important implications for Canada's legal system, particularly in

religion to religious freedoms and balance between religious rights and harm caused by certain

practices. It also highlights the ongoing debate about the legality of polygamy and the need for

clearer laws and guidelines.

→ In my opinion the harm associated with polygamous relationships is not valid. These kind of

relationships turn out to be really bad, as sometimes it lead to sexual abuse. While I was

researching this case, I encountered a timeline about this case, which begins in 1843. This case

in Canada tightly connects to Warren Jeffs. He is a polygamist in America and found guilty for

sexually abusing underage girls. The part where i totally go aginst polygamy is that often times

it leads to sexual violence. This gets even worse when this happens with underage girls. This

case came to an end on June 26, 2018 as both of the bishops were sentenced with house arrest

and probation. I am not in favor of the plaintiff because of their ideology of having multiple

wives. I think the laws that provoke basic rights of life of an innocent should take precedence

over other rights. We must recognize that this case could have far-reaching consequences for

many people, especially those involved. I also believe that the plaintiff should not pursue further

appeals, given that they themselves acknowledge engaging in plural marriages. It is crucial that

we consider the potential impact on future generations when making decisions about such

cases.

Good Copy

This case is about two polygamists, Winston Blackmore and James Oler, who were convicted of

polygamy by the B.C. Supreme court in July 2017. Winston Blackmore had married two dozen

women, while James Oler had married five women. They appealed the verdict, arguing that it

violated their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, on March
9th, 2018, their appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court judge, who ruled in favor of women's

security and freedom over the right of religion. This case was controversial because it involved

the court deciding whether a woman's safety was more important than the right to practice

one's religion. Back in 1990, RCMP completed a 13 month investigation of Bountiful bishop

Winston Blackmore, they recommended B.C’s attorney general to press polygamy charges

against him, but the attorney general of B.C. chose not to press charges due to doubts about the

constitutionality of the law with regards to religious freedom. However, in November 2011, the

B.C. The Supreme Court upheld Canada's polygamy laws, finding Blackmore and Oler guilty of

practicing plural marriages, which the Criminal Code clearly prohibits.

The plaintiff's challenge was unsuccessful, as on June 26, 2018, Winston Blackmoore was

sentenced a six month conditional sentence to be served under house arrest followed by a year

of probation, while James Oler term was sentenced to three months of house arrest, followed by

a year of probation. This case was significant because it marked the first time in modern

Canadian history that someone had been convicted of polygamy. Both men were former

bishops in the small fundamentalist Mormon community located in southeastern B.C. They

argued that the polygamy law infringed on their charter rights to freedom of religion and

expression, but the judge rejected their arguments, stating that their actions were above the law.

The decision in this case has significant implications for Canada's legal system, particularly with

regard to religious freedoms and balances between religious rights and harm caused by certain

practices. It also highlights the ongoing debate about the legality of polygamy and the need for

clearer laws and guidelines.

In my opinion polygamous relationships are often harmful, since they sometimes lead to sexual

abuse. This case has a long history dating back to 1843, and is closely related to Warren Jeffs.

He is a polygamist in America and was found guilty for sexually abusing underage girls. The

aspect that I find particularly disturbing is that it often leads to sexual violence, which is
especially concerning when this happens to underage girls. This case came to an end on June

26, 2018 as both of the bishops were sentenced after receiving house arrest and probation.I

think the laws that provoke basic rights of life of an innocent should take precedence over other

rights. We must recognize that this case could have far-reaching consequences for many

people, especially those involved. I also believe that the plaintiff should not pursue further

appeals, given that they themselves acknowledge engaging in plural marriages. It is crucial that

we consider the potential impact on future generations when making decisions about such

cases.

Citations

CityNews, https://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/06/26/a-timeline-of-polygamy-in-canada/.

“Watched the Warren Jeffs Doc? Read about BC's Own ... - Vancouversun.” Canada's

Polygamy's Case,

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/netflix-keep-sweet-warren-jeffs-bountiful-bc-p

olygamy.