(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Canada believe a polygamous group that lives in a British Columbia community called Bountiful should face prosecution, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 62 per cent of respondents think bigamy, or being legally married to more than one person, is a criminal offence.

Conversely, 19 per cent of respondents think that under the terms of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the residents of Bountiful are free to practice their beliefs, even if this includes polygamy.

Earlier this month, British Columbia attorney-general Wally Oppal revealed that he’ll decide "soon" what to do about the polygamous community of Bountiful. A report by special prosecutor Leonard Doust recommended referring the issue to the B.C. Court of Appeal, to decide whether Canada’s laws restricting polygamy could endure a court challenge on the grounds of religious freedom.

On Apr. 22, Winston Blackmore—identified as the leader of Bountiful’s polygamous group—declared: "I understand that Wally Oppal has selected a couple of the best legal minds in the country to give him an opinion. And if he was wise, I think that he would just follow their opinion. But I’m not Wally Oppal."

On Apr. 25, Oppal discussed the situation, saying, "There’s been no shortage of advice, gratuitous advice, from across the country, with law professors writing in and other people asking why we haven’t gone ahead. There’s a small matter of witnesses. There are none."

Polling Data

As you may know, British Columbia Attorney-General Wally Oppal is considering whether to take legal action in a community called Bountiful, which is made up of members of a polygamous group. Which of these statements comes closer to your own point of view?

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,001 Canadian adults, conducted on Apr. 23 and Apr. 24, 2008. Margin of error is 2.0 per cent.

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