| 'Plural wives' allowed to immigrate Ottawa gave residency status to polygamists despite B.C. protests | |
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By Robert Remington National Post | |
Acknowledging that polygamy is illegal in Canada, Denis Coderre, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, promised yesterday to investigate why his department gave permanent Canadian residency to three polygamist wives from the United States. Mr. Coderre, in response to questions in the Commons from Diane Ablonczy, the Canadian Alliance immigration critic, said he will ask his department for a report on the 1994 case in which immigration officials in Ottawa overruled their B.C. counterparts, who sought to deny permanent status to the three women. Ottawa reportedly granted the permanent residency for three wives of Winston Blackmore, leader of a polygamist community near Creston, B.C., on humanitarian and compassionate grounds because they had children with Mr. Blackmore. They were also stepmothers to other children at the 800-member polygamist community, called Bountiful, near Lister on the B.C.-Idaho border. "The Minister knows full well that polygamy is repugnant to Canadian values in society. It very often exploits young women. Why is the Liberal government not ashamed of this action to aid and abet an illegal practice in Canada?" Ms. Ablonczy demanded. Mr. Coderre said he agreed with Ms. Ablonczy that polygamy is illegal but he declined further comment until briefed on the case by his department. "The rules are very clear. An individual can only sponsor one spouse. Polygamy is illegal," Mr. Coderre said. Mr. Blackmore could not be reached for comment. In a previous interview with the National Post, he acknowledged his polygamist lifestyle but said it was protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which allows freedom from religious persecution. Mr. Blackmore, reported to have 30 wives and 80 children, was until recently leader of the Canadian branch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a breakaway sect of the Mormon Church. The Mormon Church disavowed polygamy a century ago and excommunicates members who practise it. Ms. Ablonczy said new immigration rules that came into effect in June allowing men to sponsor common-law spouses could make it easier for polygamists to bring plural wives to Canada. "Under new regulations, men will find it even easier to sponsor additions to polygamist relationships. Many of these women will be in their teens," she said. The ages of the three polygamist women granted permanent status in 1994 are not known, but Mr. Blackmore previously said all marriages at Bountiful involved consenting adults and it was hypocritical for society to tolerate Hugh Hefner having relationships with seven girlfriends while condemning members of his Church. In a highly publicized case in June, the state of Utah successfully prosecuted polygamist Tom Green for child rape after he took a 13-year-old girl as his spiritual wife in 1986 and conceived a child with her. Mr. Green, who lived in a trailer in the deserts of southwest Utah with five wives and 23 children, was sentenced in August to a minimum five years in prison. In 1993, British Columbia refused to prosecute members of the Bountiful commune for polygamy, citing legal opinions that a prosecution would not withstand a Charter challenge on religious grounds. The Canadian sect at Lister is said to have ties with secretive communes in the twin border towns of Hilldale, Utah, and Colorado City, Colo, where the estimated 10,000 members adhere to strict polygamist teachings. The spiritual leader of the U.S. polygamists, Rulon Jeffs, 92, died in September. About 350 members from the Canadian branch attended the funeral of Mr. Jeffs, regarded by his followers as a prophet. It is believed he will be succeeded by his son, Warren Jeffs, although some observers say a power struggle may be under way for control of the sect between Mr. Jeffs, 45, and Church bishop Fred M. Jessop, 95. | |
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National Post Originally published October 8, 2002 | |
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