[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

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)