BC Court to re-examine Canada's polygamy laws Court, Canada, laws, polygamy

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BC Court to re-examine Canada's polygamy laws
The court will decide whether the laws banning polygamy violate human rights
The Canadian Press Nov 21, 2010 16:46:32 PM
3 Comment(s)  1 Recommendation(s) VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - A British Columbia court will start examining Monday whether Canada's polygamy laws are constitutional.

BC Supreme Court will hear a case that began in an obscure fundamentalist Mormon community in the province's southeast corner. The provincial government has asked the court to decide whether the laws that prohibit polygamy violate the right to freedom of religion.

Last year, prosecutors in BC charged two leaders in Bountiful, BC, with one count each of practicing polygamy, but those charges were later thrown out. Now, the court is preparing to hear from more than two dozen witnesses, including experts and former residents of Bountiful.

It's a case that observers say is destined to make its way to the Supreme Court of Canada.