Aug. 19
CANADA:
5 reasons to fear that the death penalty isn't, well, dead
Here in Canada, the death penalty was abolished by Parliament in July, 1976 -
exactly 40 years ago this summer. Then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's speech
helped push through the close vote, at a time when most Canadians favoured
capital punishment. Apart from Louis Riel's famous execution by hanging in
1885, try naming one of the 710 Canadians put to death between 1867 and 1976.
Indeed, 40 years is a long time ago.
What's more, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared this February that Canada
will no longer let citizens sit on death rows in other countries. So all of
this can make it feel as though the death penalty is becoming historical -
something that ignorant people used to do, but modern, educated people eschew
outside countries like the United States. Certainly, as Alicia von Stomwitz
points out in her Observer interview with Dead Man Walking author Sister Helen
Prejean, there's plenty to reject about the death penalty - especially if
you're a Christian.
Realistically, though, just because Canada doesn't condone the death penalty
presently doesn't mean it won't ever come back. Here are 5 reasons to fear that
the death penalty isn't really dead in Canada.
1. Most Canadians favour it
In July 2016, Abacus Data released a poll that shows 58 % of Canadians and 59 %
of Americans believe that the death penalty is morally acceptable. Considering
that the 2 countries have opposite approaches to the death penalty (it's
illegal in Canada, and legal and common in the U.S.), the moral similarity
stings. Perhaps, though, if Canadians were actively executing prisoners, we
would lose our stomach for it.
2. If Quebec separates, even more Canadians will favour it
Just 51 % of Quebecers say they find the death penalty morally acceptable. That
relatively low number depresses the pan-Canadian statistic of 58 %. Sadly,
Abacus didn't release full regional results for the poll. But it reported that
63 % of Albertans approve of the death penalty. So if Quebec separates,
Parliament may find itself representing a population that overwhelmingly
approves of the death penalty.
3. Emerging far right governments love it
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's "tough on crime" campaign promise has
resulted in nearly 1,000 executions of drug suspects by police in just 3
months. North Korea's Kim Jong Un has reportedly executed 70 people since 2011
- 7 times as many as his predecessor. And in the U.S., Republican presidential
hopeful Donald Trump, who has rarely mentioned the death penalty during his
campaign, has strongly supported it in the past. Today, there are nearly 3,000
prisoners are on death row in America. Since January, 15 people have been
executed by lethal injecting in the country.
Though the overall number of countries actively executing prisoners has
plummeted to just 58, the swing to the right internationally doesn't bode well
for the trend.
4. 1976 didn't kill it in Parliament - or in the media
Ending the death penalty in Canada took decades; the 1st Parliamentary attempt
was in 1914. Similarly, reintroducing it may take decades and multiple efforts.
In 1987, the House of Commons narrowly voted down a bill that would have
reintroduced the death penalty. In 2012, the National Post's letters editor
asked if it was time to bring back the death penalty, and many wrote in to
support it. Among the letters was this fairly representative snippet by
Toronto's Ron Fawcett: "Our permissive society has created an environment of
violence and fear, marked by teenage rioting, sexual predation and brutal
killings. Bringing back the death penalty for serial killers and those who kill
women and children is the right thing to do."
5. The usual pro-life arguments against it are not atheist-friendly
Leaders in the anti-death movement have been Catholic for the most part -
consider both Pierre Trudeau and Sister Helen Prejean. In the U.S.,
self-identified Christians are far less likely than "average" Americans to
support the death penalty. Furthermore, Christian Millennials are half as
likely (just 32 %) than the average to support capital punishment. But the
arguments of the sacredness of human life, the judgement of God and the
commandment to not kill may not have much impact among non-Christians. So as
religious affiliation continues to decline, will the appetite for capital
punishment indeed surge?
(source: Pieta Woolley is a writer in Powell River, B.C.----ucobserver.org)
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