In Defense of Canada's Rejection of the Death Penalty

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A man, allegedly accused of first degree murder, has been put on a trial to see what his sentence will be. People are outraged and protesting for him to be put on death row. Family and friends of the victim are traumatized, seeking vengeance for the one that they have lost, hoping that Canada can bend the rules just once to get the justice they think they deserve. On the other hand, the prisoner sits in the court room waiting for the verdict that will ultimately change his life forever. He only has two options: if found guilty he will receive life imprisonment, if found innocent he will be let off scotch free. Or there’s always the third choice, the death penalty. How far does the battle have to go to stop him from killing? This could mean bringing back capital punishment to Canada. There’s the theory of an eye for an eye, or also the chance of a wrongful conviction. As with any debate there are pros and cons all weighing up to the final question, should Canada use the death penalty, or continue to use life imprisonment?

Although in the United States, most placed do not use the death penalty there are some that still do under certain circumstances. Canada is a Country that has not one province or territory that used the death penalty but Canada hasn’t always used life imprisonment. Between 1892 and 1961, the death penalty was used in Canada and the result was death by hanging. It wasn’t until 1914 that the death penalty was up for debate and the first bill to abolish it completely was made. In 1954, rape did not qualify as a death penalty punishment anymore. The Parliament dived murder into capital and non-capital categories in 1964. It took a long time, but the first time that the bill to abolish the death penalty was debat...

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...serli, Joe. . (2010, December 10). In a nutshell. Retrieved from http://www.balancedpolitics.org/death_penalty.htm

• Munroe,. (2010, October 31). Canada online . Retrieved from http://canadaonline.about.com/od/crime/a/abolitioncappun.htm

• Phil B., . (2010). Phil for humanity . Retrieved from http://www.philforhumanity.com/Capital_Punishment.html

• Robinson, Bruce.A. (2007, August 07). Religious tolerance. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/executb.htm

• Skerrit,. (2009, February 03). Dominica news. Retrieved from http://www.dominica-weekly.com/news/prime-minister-roosevelt-skerrit-supports-the-death-penalty/

• Tackaberry,. (2000, April). Amnesty international. Retrieved from http://www.amnesty.ca/deathpenalty/canada.php

• Tempest, Rone. (2008, June 30). Death penalty focis. Retrieved from http://www.deathpenalty.org/article.php?id=42

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