Ottawa ON – Yes it is true, this is the year 2011 and our Prime Minister Stephen Harper did recently say, “There are times when capital punishment is appropriate.” However there is no need to panic or celebrate depending on which side of the fence you stand. Immediately after this statement Harper also made it clear that he had no intention of bringing back the death penalty which was abolished here in Canada in 1976.
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It becomes curious when a man such as Harper, who is usually very deliberate and calculating, lets something like this slip. Although with an impending election looming in the spring, Harper might be on to something.
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A poll in the Ottawa Sun on Wednesday showed 66% of Canadians polled agreed with him. For a government desperately seeking a majority whenever the next election takes place, this could be another creative attack. According to the Liberal platforms there is no way they can agree with this statement and Harper already enjoys a majority of the support on this issue.
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Regardless of the hidden agenda behind this statement, I thought it would be interesting to test the waters and post a survey on my Facebook Page. Despite what the results of this survey might tell you, my friends list is in the hundreds, I assure you. However only 16 people responded and fortunately they are a very spirited 16 and quite the discussion ensued.
Regardless of the hidden agenda behind this statement, I thought it would be interesting to test the waters and post a survey on my Facebook Page. Despite what the results of this survey might tell you, my friends list is in the hundreds, I assure you. However only 16 people responded and fortunately they are a very spirited 16 and quite the discussion ensued.
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The question was simple; it asked if they believed in the use of the death penalty under appropriate circumstance. For the sake of clarity I used the examples of Paul Bernardo and Colonel Russel Williams as the exception to the rule. The final result of this survey was just as shocking to me as the one in the Sun. There were 10 people who sided with yes and the remaining six said no, with both sides giving compelling arguments.
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Each side had one explanation for their answer that stood. Derek Leduc who lives in Toronto where the death of Sgt. Ryan Russell, 35 is a very big story right now, answered no.
“There are no differences with death, whether it be police officers or civilians in the eyes of the family who lost someone. So no to special circumstances, and just no in general, I don’t support taking anyone’s life. Jail is a hell far worse than a slight prick and eternal nothing,” said Leduc.
Another answer that drew attention was from Lucy Ferraro-Acosta who answered yes. Ferraro-Acosta, as others, was concerned about the cost of imprisonment. This was expressed when she said,
“The money that they use for those prisoners over the course of their lives could be better used.”
This of course is an understandable and viable answer.
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Personally I enjoy the fact that we are one of the many countries in this world that does not use the death penalty. It would give me great discomfort to live in a country that believed it true that a life could cost too much to sustain. What do you think? You can post your comments below.
It certainly is about time the death penalty is brought back into our justice system.In this time and age i really don,t think there could be any mistakes made with dna evidence.Send the likes of Bernardo and Williams to hell.
Hey luckyred, Do a little Google search for “Dr. Charles Smith” Ontario, and check out this site. http://www.aidwyc.org/cases/
Are you sure that you want our government to start killing convicted murderers even if some of them are completely innocent?
Markus, Harper has to appeal to his knuckle-dragging lynch-mob mentality base support. Without them, he won’t get even minority rule after the next election. There’s a small but substantial red-neck fundamentalist Christian block of voters that he needs just to stay in the game. He has to woo these assholes while at the same time trying to appear intelligent and somewhat progressive (a lost cause) to the rest of the voters.
pffffttt.. oops. Sorry ’bout that.
Furtz the base you speak of isn’t going to vote for any other party no matter how many arenas the Conservatives give cash to build in Quebec.
You’re probably right Jamie, but Harper has been a disappointment for a lot of his supporters in the Alberta and BC bible belts. He hasn’t even attempted to reinstate the death penalty, put an end to abortion, gay marriage, etc. He’s even stopped saying God bless Canada! Now if you add to that throwing more money at those “dang Kwebeckers”, some of his ex-supporters might switch their votes to the Christian Heritage Party, or they might not vote at all.
“A life could cost to much sustain” is very interesting considering the amount poured into healthcare and deserves follow up on its own.
I would not mind a discussion on the death penality, and possibly that was why the comment was given. DNA testing and cameras everywhere today would go a long way towards positive id.
Capital punishment is an appropriate circumstance for Senators and Members of Parliament to face if found guilty of an indictable offence. It’s a higher standard than in the rest of of society because their office is the highest in the country. Capital punishment is a manner by which their differential illegitimate opportunity for crime may be curbed. It is a helpful and prudent thing to do. What elected official could be against this kind of restraint? If you asked the public that question – you would also get an interesting answer.
It is amazing, we oppose the return of capital punishment, because we are more concern about a few that fall through the cracks, as if our nation really cared for life. The stats on abortion figures tell us that we, as Canadians, really don’t care about life! Euthanasia is now more and more finding inroads to acceptance in our Canadian society. Another warning sign! And justice, well….
Another area that I see this to be true is the way many activist judges care more about the criminal’s rights and comforts than the victims and their families. A life sentence with possible parole in 25 years is a joke! But no one is laughing, except the criminals. A slap on the wrist in our day is consider “cruel and unusual punishment”. It use to be – “crime doesn’t pay” and “let the time fit the crime”, but now we are debating whether or not convicts should collect retirement benefits. And many are deemed unfit and therefore not responsible for their actions because they have been diagnosed with some mental illness – no one is to blame, except society! Have you ever asked yourself who is this society that they are taking about? I better leave that one alone for now.
Capital punishment was enacted for at lease sixteen crimes in the Old Testament Scriptures. Yes, it is true that we are not under the Old Covenant as the nation of Israel was. Her civil laws were an example of the righteousness of a nation that God requires and approves of when dealing with sin, lawlessness, and civil and domestic crimes. Also, the judicial process in those days was based upon fairness, equality and the fear of God. The Word of God played a big part in revealing what is right and what is wrong, and how a nation under God should deal with such issues. How many God fearing jurors have you come across lately? Those that care for fairness, equality, and love their neighbor.
Such to say, we have not this in our day. No absolutes, which equates to a continual rejection of the rule of law! “The powers that be (Gentile world powers) …” are currently rejecting in a wholesale way the written standard of right and wrong – the Word of God. They call it separation of church and state, but God calls it departing from the True and Living God. He calls it giving a nation over to a reprobate mind – void of judgment, discernment, and wisdom. So what can you expect, there can be no true righteousness, and no true godliness, and no true family values apart from the Word of God. Without the fear of God, and a loving obedience to His Word, lawlessness, oppression, and injustices will continue, and continue, and continue.
We need to be reminded that we must all answer to God, and to His Word –
Pro 14:34 “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Psa 9:17 -20 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
“And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment” (Isa. 59;14-15).
We’ll put the preacher on the list of those who want certain convicted criminals killed, whether they are innocent or not. So if the state kills someone, is that punishment enough, or does god take over from there and subject the dead guy to eternal torture?