CBC
The Harper government is bracing for international backlash to its proposed new law that would ban people in polygamous and forced marriages from immigrating to Canada, The Canadian Press has learned.
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced the legislation Wednesday, calling such practices “incompatible with Canadian values.”
The Conservative government promised in its 2013 throne speech to take steps on forced marriages and so-called honour killings.
If it becomes law, the bill would eliminate early and forced marriages from Canada’s immigration system and the country as a whole, said Alexander. The measures would not include arranged marriages.
There are “at least hundreds” of cases of immigrants in polygamous marriages in Canada, the minister added.
