Winston Blackmore & James Oler sent to Prison due to Polygamy

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2 Canadian religious leaders have allegedly been involved in practicing polygamy by the British Columbia Supreme Court. The trial heard 61-years old Winston Blackmore married 24 women. His former brother-in-law 53-years old James Oler also married 5 women. Both were charged with one count of polygamy. Each of them should face at least 5 years in prison. The order of landmark has been considered a test of the boundaries of religious freedom in Canada. On Monday, former BC attorney general Wally Opal informed CTV News about ruling that “It is important that the Charter of Rights has been considered the supreme law of Canada, but we should realize that the rights in the Charter aren’t perfect”. Blackmore and Oler are residents of Bountiful in the Southern BC.

It is the place of a religious community of more than 1,500 people established in 1946. Both had served as bishops with a breakaway Mormon sect FLDS (the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). Blackmore was dismissed from FLDS in 2002 and appointed Mr. Oler. The sect has more than 10,000 members in its various branches in the United States. Polygamy is unlawful under Section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada. The initial investigation was started in the 1990s in Bountiful by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But, the trial for the case delayed due to lack of legal clarity. The BC Supreme Court maintained the anti-polygamy law of Canada as constitutional after a request submitted from BC’s government for a ruling regarding the issue.