Letter to the Editor: Canada’s laws are different; FLDS sentence will have an impact

August 13, 2017 Utah Channel 3

OPINION — The article by Ed Kociela claiming that the sentences given to Brandon Blackmore, 12 months incarceration plus 18 months’ probation, and Emily Gail Crossfield Blackmore, seven months plus 18 months’ probation, will not impact the FLDS in Bountiful, will indeed make a difference in the tight community of Bountiful.

These two parents who took their 13-year-old daughter across an international border to marry Warren Jeffs were convicted under sections 273.3 & 151 of the Criminal Code of Canada. Section 273.3 prohibits the trafficking of a minor into another country for the purpose of an act that is a crime in Canada. Section 151 deals with the crime this girl was subjected to—sexual assault.

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Mr. Kociela must know that there is no statute of limitations on sexual crimes in Canada. In Utah, the statute of limitations is eight years. This is the first time followers of Warren Jeffs in Bountiful have been tried for this type of crime. We were very satisfied to see this couple hand-cuffed and led out of the court room on their way to jail. Bountiful boasts a much smaller population of FLDS than that found in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, etc. This sentence will impact the community.

On July 24^th, both Winston Blackmore and James Oler were found guilty of one count each of practicing polygamy a contravention of Section 293 which was found to be constitutional at the Polygamy Reference trial in Vancouver in 2010-2011.

Mr. Blackmore wrongly cites the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when he cries “religious persecution”. Canada’s Charter explicitly states in section one that all rights and freedoms must be exercised under the law. Polygamy is against the law in Canada; and, section 293 is constitutional.

Mr. Kociela writes citing past mistakes and societal mores that do not want to nor do they have the resources to tackle the huge problem of polygamy in Utah. Canada does have the resources and our societal mores have stopped turning their heads to “live and let live.”

I suggest that Mr. Kociela study up and compare Canada’s laws against the laws of the States when it comes to these egregious crimes against women and children. Eight years for a statute of limitations on sexual crimes is a joke.

Written by NANCY MERESKA, Founder, Stop Polygamy in Canada, Two Hills, Alberta, Canada.

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