On Wednesday, Conservative Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu was heading into a caucus meeting when a reporter asked him if the Tories had any intention of bringing back the death penalty in Canada. He answered that he himself did not support the death penalty. But in certain cases - where rehabilitation is not an option - the Senator added in French: "Basically I think that every murderer should have a rope in his cell and he can decide on his own life. But I'm against the death penalty."
So he doesn't support killing criminals, per se. He just supports them not being alive anymore.
The Senator was predictably assailed from all sides, and quickly backtracked. But was that retreat really necessary? Canadians do seem to be willing to have a discussion about capital punishment. A survey by Angus Reid in 2010 found that a strong majority of Canadians - a full 62% - are supportive of capital punishment for homicide. So much for NDP leader Nycole Turmel's contention that a procapital punishment viewpoint "doesn't represent the Canadian society at all." It might not represent the Canadian society the NDP wishes existed, but it's the NDP that's offside with Canadians on this one. Mr. Boisvenu may have awkwardly stumbled into a potential winning issue for the Conservatives.
And there would be no one better than Mr. Boisvenu to carry that banner. Before being appointed to the upper chamber in 2010, he spent years as a victims' advocate, his passion driven in large part by the kidnapping and sex-killing of his adult daughter Julie in 2002. His personal story, plus the fact that he would not be an enthusiastic supporter of capital punishment, make him the perfect candidate to sell a limited use of capital punishment in the Canadian justice system. There's willingness among Canadians there. We just need someone to lead the charge.
Not that it will happen, of course. Capital punishment, despite not being explicitly declared a no-go area by the Tories (like gay marriage and abortion), is probably too controversial for them to touch. Indeed, the Prime Minister has already expressed his "personal support" for capital punishment in limited case, but also said his government wouldn't introduce legislation (and even that was enough to trigger howls of outrage from the opposition).
Pity. Until and unless a Canadian government moves to recognize the desire of the people for a return of capital punishment, hoping our worst killers off themselves will remain our country's secondbest option by default.
Original Article
Source: National Post
Author: Matt Gurney
So he doesn't support killing criminals, per se. He just supports them not being alive anymore.
The Senator was predictably assailed from all sides, and quickly backtracked. But was that retreat really necessary? Canadians do seem to be willing to have a discussion about capital punishment. A survey by Angus Reid in 2010 found that a strong majority of Canadians - a full 62% - are supportive of capital punishment for homicide. So much for NDP leader Nycole Turmel's contention that a procapital punishment viewpoint "doesn't represent the Canadian society at all." It might not represent the Canadian society the NDP wishes existed, but it's the NDP that's offside with Canadians on this one. Mr. Boisvenu may have awkwardly stumbled into a potential winning issue for the Conservatives.
And there would be no one better than Mr. Boisvenu to carry that banner. Before being appointed to the upper chamber in 2010, he spent years as a victims' advocate, his passion driven in large part by the kidnapping and sex-killing of his adult daughter Julie in 2002. His personal story, plus the fact that he would not be an enthusiastic supporter of capital punishment, make him the perfect candidate to sell a limited use of capital punishment in the Canadian justice system. There's willingness among Canadians there. We just need someone to lead the charge.
Not that it will happen, of course. Capital punishment, despite not being explicitly declared a no-go area by the Tories (like gay marriage and abortion), is probably too controversial for them to touch. Indeed, the Prime Minister has already expressed his "personal support" for capital punishment in limited case, but also said his government wouldn't introduce legislation (and even that was enough to trigger howls of outrage from the opposition).
Pity. Until and unless a Canadian government moves to recognize the desire of the people for a return of capital punishment, hoping our worst killers off themselves will remain our country's secondbest option by default.
Original Article
Source: National Post
Author: Matt Gurney
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