British Columbia Polygamists Must Be Prosecuted, Canadians Say

[VANCOUVER – Oct. 30, 2009] – Just weeks after a British Columbia court dismissed the case against two prominent polygamists of the small community of Bountiful, B.C., a new Angus Reid Strategies poll shows that most Canadians support the prosecution of people involved in polygamy.

In September, B.C.’s Supreme Court said it would not hear a case against two religious leaders from the polygamist community of Bountiful because it disagreed with the way the issue was handled by former B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal.

Winston Blackmore and James Oler were facing charges of polygamy for being married to nineteen and three women, respectively.

British Columbia’s government has asked the B.C. Supreme Court to decide whether Canada's anti-polygamy law violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,001 Canadians, almost two thirds of respondents (64%) think the residents of Bountiful should face the law because bigamy—being legally married to more than one person at once—is a criminal offence in Canada.

Conversely, 18 per cent of Canadians think people living in Bountiful are free to practice their religious beliefs, including polygamy, because they are protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Only 13 per cent of B.C. residents agree with this notion.

Most Canadians (53%) think the B.C. government should continue to seek the prosecution of Blackmore and Oler. However, 23 per cent disagree, saying that the case should be abandoned.

British Columbians—who have been exposed to more media coverage of the Bountiful case than other Canadians—are the keenest respondents to express a rejection of polygamy (76% support the prosecution of Bountiful’s residents), and to want Blackmore and Oler go on trial (66%, followed by Albertans at 60%).

Respondents over the age of 55 are clearly in favour of both the prosecution of polygamists in Bountiful (74%) and the B.C. government continuing to pursue the case (64%).

CONTACT:
Hamish Marshall, Research Director, Public Affairs, 604-647-1987, hamish.marshall@angus-reid.com

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)