TORONTO (RNS) Two top leaders of a fundamentalist polygamous sect in Bountiful, British Columbia, have been arrested and charged with practicing polygamy.

Winston Blackmore, 52, and James Oler, 44, leaders of rival factions in the religious community, were arrested and charged Wednesday (Jan. 7) with one count each of practicing polygamy.

The criminal charges against the men are a first in Canada. Laws banning polygamy date back decades, but no one has ever been prosecuted for breaking them.

Legal experts say the case promises to pit Canada’s anti-polygamy law against the country’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees freedom of religious expression.

Bountiful, composed of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), has emerged as Canada’s only polygamous sect only over the last decade.

The sect, which openly practices plural marriage, is an offshoot of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which renounced polygamy more than a century ago. The Canadian branch is part of the breakaway sect led by jailed U.S. polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, who was sentenced in 2007 to 10 years-to-life imprisonment.

Approximately 800 men, women and children live in Bountiful, which was first established in the 1940s in southeastern British Columbia. The group lived in seclusion and had little contact with the outside world until about 25 years ago.

British Columbia Attorney General Wally Oppal said Blackmore is alleged to be married to 20 women, while Oler is accused of being married to two women.

“This has been a very complex issue,” he told The Canadian Press. “It’s been with us for well over 20 years. The problem has always been the defense of religion has always been raised.”

Oppal added that he has “always disagreed” with the argument that religious freedoms trump laws banning polygamy.

If convicted, the two men face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.