Canadian Polygamy

The Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms guarantees the freedom of conscience and religion to all Canadians. People may come into conflict with the law when exercising their freedoms. In law, the scales of Lady Justice are considered in court cases. This includes, the blindfold which represents justified equality before the court, scales to balance the rights of individuals and safety and security of society, and the sword, representing enforcement of the law. Therefore, it is necessary to place limits on their freedoms as described in Section 1 of the Charter. In this essay, it will outline three situations where people come in conflict with the law by following their conscience and practicing their religious beliefs. This essay will address

In Bountiful, British Columbia, it is known as the Canadian Polygamist town, and also home of Winston Blackmore. In 2009, Blackmore and a community leader, James Oler were arrested and charged with polygamy but, charges were later thrown out due to the Crown’s questionable choices of prosecutors. The case was reopened again in 2014, Blackmore attempted to appeal but it was overruled in May 2016. Currently, Winston Blackmore has married 27 times and has over 145 children. Although many people believe that it is God’s chosen that men are suppose to rule over women and marrying multiple females is how men get to heaven, it also leads to many risks of society’s safety including underage marriages, incest, intermarriages, child abuse, “closed” education system, and many other risks. In conclusion, there should be a complete ban on polygamous relationships in Canada despite its intended religious values as it can cause harm to children, women, society, and the institution of a monogamous

Some parents follow the bible verse, “if you spare the rod, you spoil the child.” An author, Micheal Pearl has written a religious literature titled, “To Train Up a Child” explaining the multiple tools that parents can use including plumbing tubes, wooden spoons, belt, or a willow-branch. In September 29, 1999, an older daughter complained to the Salvation Army after the history of her family’s corporal punishment. The 17 year old now lives outside the family home. This is significant because the judge’s ruling tend to stray away of parents who use corporal punishment. Under the guidelines of the criminal code, corporal punishment is allowed however with reasonable limits. This becomes problematic because, the code does not define what is reasonable and what isn’t. To conclude, corporal should remain legal however it needs to be more specific with their “reasonable limits” by defining what is discipline and what is abuse. It should also include that parents are not allowed to use tools when physically disciplining their children, and not harm the child that results into marks on their bodies or hospitalization. In terms of age, that should the parent’s opinion when they can start corporal