Thank you for the question. I'm aware of the report that the committee made as well on violence against women.
I'm not necessarily in a position to offer a definition of polygamy. I think that would require some collective study, so I'll refrain from going in that direction. I do believe, however, that deeming someone inadmissible is a very powerful mechanism that the Canadian government has. It has implications not only for that individual but for their family members. Family members of the person deemed inadmissible will also be barred from entering Canada or remaining in Canada.
I think we need to look at the intent of the law. Polygamy is already against the law in Canada. While there have not been any successful cases to hold people accountable, there is already a general public opinion. Although certainly some communities may be practising polygamy and using their values to justify it, I don't think there is a need to make a statement that polygamy is wrong in Canada. Deeming groups inadmissible for entering Canada is not necessarily going to change the practice of Canada internationally.
So if we're talking about what rights an individual will have within Canada, and we already have it within our legal system that they cannot be in a legal relationship, then I think we're actually just using the smokescreen of polygamy to increase immigration powers.