Welcome to Gaia! ::

Because this is relevant to my interests (and others of you who are fellow Canadians) I'm going to go ahead and post the link to the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association's website.

For those who don't know:

"Section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada purports to outlaw polyamorous people living together as families. It penalizes us as soon as we make a serious commitment to one another.

The BC Government has asked the BC Supreme Court to decide whether Section 293 is compatible with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This "reference" question arises from concern over alleged abuses, in the context of plural marriage, by religious polygynists in rural BC. In all probability, whichever side wins, this case will be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, and will set important precedents for the rights of everybody who has more than one intimate relationship."

The CPAA is the polyamorist group which formed to intervene in court to argue for the removal of this section of the criminal code as they believe that it is not compatible with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and because adults should be able to chose what form of intimate relationships they enter into.

See the website linked above and CPAA Press Release for more information on what's going on and how to help.

The law is already on the books. And the broadness of it actually includes cohabiting friends because it was worded to be vague and so no one could claim religious discrimination. It's not really enforced, I'll grant you that, but that it is on the books is the problem. Because even if it's not enforced, doesn't mean that it can't be used against people in future cases (as I believe they tried to use it in the Bountiful case which is what spurred this whole thing if I'm remembering right.) Still it's good to know what's going on and such.