Post edited 5:24 am – May 7, 2010 by jbash

Here, for discussion, is one of the suggestions that have been made for the CPAA's policy position on polyamorous marriage

THIS IS NOT ADOPTED POLICY. In fact, many CPAA members and volunteers have not seen it. It's here to stimulatecommunity input. Is it on the right track? If so, what should be changed? If not, where should we go?

Polyamorous marriage and legal recognition

We know that polyamory and monogamy should be equal in dignity, but aren't sure what that implies about marriage.

Polyamorous relationships are diverse, and may not universally fit into a single model. Some polyamorists may not want social assumptions about their relationships to be legally codified. The laws and policies recognizing marriage and other conjugal relationships in Canada are fundamentally structured around the assumption of monogamy, and that those structures will not easily accommodate recognition of polyamorous relationships.

We doubt that there is consensus among Canadian practitioners of polyamory as to whether positive recognition should be provided to polyamorous relationships, or as to the form it should take if offered. However, whenever appropriate, polyamorous relationships are deserving of official recognition and support equivalent to that provided to monogamous ones.

Recommendations

1. Governments should study the implications of providing official support to multiple-partner conjugal relationships, on a basis similar to that provided for monogamous marriage, and should likewise study the attitudes of polyamorous people in Canada toward the possibility and desired nature of such support.