Attorney General Shirley Bond issued the following statement today in response to the Supreme Court of B.C. decision on the polygamy reference case:

Audio of Minister Bond on polygamy (snd.sc)

"Firstly, I want to begin by thanking the people who have provided first-hand evidence regarding their personal experiences. It was imperative for the court to hear the evidence from those who had the courage to speak out. I also want to thank the experts who testified during the case. I have no doubt that this evidence was of significant assistance to the court in reaching its decision.

"I welcome the court's decision to uphold the Criminal Code provisions regarding polygamy. The Province presented evidence during the case regarding some very serious social harms to British Columbians and Canadians.

"As Chief Justice Robert Bauman recognized, this case is about two competing visions - one of personal harm versus state intrusion. As he clearly found, there is profound harm associated with polygamy, particularly for women and children.

"Lastly, I would like to offer my sincere appreciation to all the staff in the Attorney General's ministry for their hard work and dedication in presenting one of the most complicated and difficult constitutional cases in the history of our province."

Contact:

Dave Townsend
Ministry of Attorney General
Government Communications and Public Engagement
250 387-4962
250 889-5945