Polyamorous Advocates File Affidavits In Supreme Court Reference
VANCOUVER — June 3, 2010 — The Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association (CPAA) today filed its evidence in the BC Supreme Court case concerning the constitutional validity of section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada. The CPAA will assert that the law is unconstitutional under the Canadian Charter of Human Rights.
Section 293 affects polyamorous families by seeking to criminalize “any kind of conjugal union with more than one person at the same time”, punishable by up to five years in prison.
The CPAA’s evidence includes court statements from polyamorous families in five provinces. Each of these families includes three or more adults living together in committed intimate relationships.
Those who identify with polyamory overwhelmingly reject “patriarchal polygyny”, where only men, and not women, may marry or live with multiple partners (specifically wives).
Polyamory, by definition, requires the knowledge and consent of all involved. The religiously diverse polyamorous community values gender equality, self determination, freedom of choice, and the protection of all from abuse and exploitation.
The CPAA’s statements give polyamory a human face by describing some of Canada’s successful polyamorous relationships. The CPAA also gave the court the results of an Internet survey it conducted this spring, which found many polyamorous conjugal households across Canada. In addition, the CPAA’s filings included social science evidence showing the stability and viability of polyamorous relationships.
For more information: http://www.polyadvocacy.ca
Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association -
