Educate Canadians on death penalty

Dec. 11, 2018, will mark 56 years since two men were hanged in Canada. These last state-sanctioned executions to happen took place at Toronto’s infamous Don Jail in 1962. In 1976, Canada abolished capital punishment.

But before some Canadians take issue with Florida’s use of the death penalty — a punishment I am against — we should take note of our own country’s attitude.

Believe it or not, most Canadians favour bringing back capital punishment, even while Americans are slowly moving away from it. Polls reveal a majority of Canadians to this day favour some return of the death penalty. According to a 2016 survey by Abacus Data, 58 per cent of Canadians want their country to join the likes of China, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia in sanctioning state murder.

The ultimate punishment is wrong. Abolitionists argue the death penalty is more expensive than imprisonment, has little effectiveness as a deterrent and risks the execution of innocent people. In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty. Since then, well over 100 convicted people have been exonerated on death row.

Most democratic governments have done away with capital punishment. Only three major democracies still execute criminals — India, Japan and the U.S. Capital punishment is viewed in most of the civilized world as unfair, cruel and barbaric. The European Union specifies any country wishing to join cannot practise capital punishment.

And yet, a majority of Canadians want this form of punishment reinstituted under certain circumstances. Amnesty International Canada should focus its efforts on educating Canadians on the immorality of capital punishment, not on calling upon Canadian snowbirds to advocate for its abolition in Florida. First things first. Emile Therien, Ottawa