For me this isn't a religious issue. Unlike homosexuality the bible doesn't clearly condemn polygamy. Even if it did I would think like homosexuality that it is an issue between the person/people and God.
As I've said before: The government should define marriage as between one man and one woman because the benefit that particular construction of a family brings to society. It almost always ends in children being born and provides the best environment to convey our societies collective values to that new generation of Canadians. They get both a male and female perspective on what it is to be Canadian. I can think of no better special interest group that deserves the support of our government than this family model. Most of us have benefited greatly by having a Mom and Dad guiding us.
Beyond the issues of special status and support I don't see where the government should be concerned with what arrangements adults have with one another. Polygamist shouldn't be offered multiple marriage licences by the government but, on the other hand it shouldn't be illegal for them to live together. Winston Blackmore is only legally married to one wife and she left him some time ago.
Living in Creston I have had the privilege of knowing quite well a couple ex-members of Bountyful. My son's hockey team has 7 of Winston's children on it. They all have different mothers. Usually 2 or 3 of the mothers are with these kids at practice. Nice people. They are committed to feed Creston for three months[or maybe 6 months??] in the case of a natural disaster as part of our town's disaster plan.
What makes polygamy so distasteful to most of our society is the inequality of power within said relationships. I'm not going into the first hand accounts I've been told but, common sense will tell you that it is never good when one man or group of men hold the purse strings and basically decides every aspect of an other's life. A women who leaves bountyful loses all she has because she owns nothing and is told from early childhood to fear outsiders. She loses her hope of salvation and probably doesn't have the education and life skills to fend for herself in every day society. The worst part is her loss of family and community. The fact that women do leave is a testimony to how oppressive their lives are within that closed society.
I've been all over Bountiful's compound. They have a section of nice newer two story houses on a couple of streets with beautiful views of the valley and they've got another area with a trailer park full of old run down old trailers. One man gets to decide who lives where. There is no equality in that place. Yet if you talk to some of the women who left they would tell you that polygamy is a good thing and would be wonderful if the men were not unfair and unreasonable about things. They don't understand that the power they give to these men are what causes the corruption.
I wouldn't use the old polygamy law because that will just create a situation where these women feel like their families are being attacked by an ever increasing evil world. This will cause them to cling harder to these oppressive relationships. What I think the government should do is level the playing field. Change the tax code and make this communal society give a year by year account of all their assets. Also require them to give names of every member of the commune on a yearly basis. Each member has an equal share in the assets of the commune whether you have lived there all your life, married in, or are a new born. If a person decides to leave the commune their share must be rendered to them in cash. A child's share would be put in trust until they are the age of majority if they left with their mother. A women or young man could leave and at least have some means to start a new life. Money is power and by giving these oppressed women/men money you would give them some power to change their own circumstances.
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