Letter to the Editor

I was offended by the misogynistic, flippant comment made by Winston Blackmore’s attorney Blair Suffredine, regarding the appropriateness of his sentence for his conviction of polygamy. (Paraphrasing Mr. Suffredine, he said the six-month house sentence Blackmore received was punishment enough as he had to spend it at home with his wives.)

It reflects poorly on the expected educational and societal standards of our community, and diminishes the gravity and importance of the issues in this case.

Anton Chekhov wrote that slavery will never vanish from the Earth, it will simply change its face.

Trafficking girls and young women across borders into marriages for religious purposes, raises many red flags in our society. Multiple marriages and questions around what qualifies as “consent” are at issue here.

The appropriate compensation for work done by family members doing the same jobs as paid labourers in Mr. Blackmore’s businesses, and the laws ensuring this happens, is an issue.

Questions arise regarding the funding of the Bountiful community and its private education system. What types of welfare, unemployment and tax dollars have been used to fund its existence and development? Have appropriate taxes been paid by Mr. Blackmore for his private businesses and community earnings? Many of these issues raise questions that have not been reported on, or answered.

I expect our justice system to thoroughly examine all of these related issues and ensure that the citizens of B.C. and Canada are protected by laws that adequately address them. Making comments that foster outdated stereotypes of social roles based on sex are, in my view, unhelpful and inappropriate.

Wendy Turner,
Cranbrook

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