What countries can execute Canadians?

Having seen that a Canadian man on death row in Montana is now suing for the Canadian government for lacking the courage to maintain Canada's policy of opposing the death penalty, it has started me to wondering about which states might kill Canadians, and for what reasons. The government of Hangman Harper said that it would not fight against executions in a place like the US because it is "democratic" and "supports the rule of law."

This is another part of the new Harper look-the-other-way policy about which I'm curious. Canada's back alright, back in the pocket of the US. We are supposed to friends with the Americans, not their subservient lackeys.

Acting like a Prime Minister

Stephane Dion has stepped in to oppose the death penalty where Harper and his minions will not. It should again be apparent that Harper wishes a return to capital punishment. He lacks the courage, of course, to say so, but the mealy-mouthed responses of his lackeys ministers give me every reason to believe that Harper would support a return to the use of the death penalty.

Stephane Dion opposes the death penalty, I am clear on his stance. Does Stephen Harper oppose the death penalty? Will he say so unequivocally? I doubt it.

Dr. Smith and Capital Punishment

Dr. Charles Smith, it seems safe to say now, has utterly ruined many peoples' lives. One coroner who was either remarkably incompetent or simply paranoiac in how he viewed autopsies led to at least 20 cases handled incorrectly. In several cases, most notably that of William Mullins-Johnson, people actually did jail time. In Mullins-Johnson's case he had apparently exhausted his appeal options prior to the province realizing that Smith was incompetent.

I cannot imagine going to prison for over a decade for a heinous crime I did not commit - a heinous crime that never happened. That said, we now have a chance to make amends for the horrible miscarriage that happened in this case. One wonders what would happen in a place like Texas to convicted child-killer and rapist who had exhausted his appeals. This was not though a total failure of the system for complex reasons. This was not a collusion of police and prosecutors. This was one incompetent doctor.

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Guess who won't co-sponsor a UN resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty? That's right, Canada's Shitty Government. Apparently Harper and Day have changed 30 years of Canadian policy without ever making it an election issue and without any credible public support (they asked, no one's buying). When the next election rolls around we need straight anwers from the Conservatives about capital punishment. If they are going to bring it back, they ought to say so. In the meantime it looks like they really do have a hidden agenda. Would a Conservative majority reintroduce the death penalty? Does Stephen Harper personally support the death penalty? We are not getting the straight answers we deserve.

Not even the National Post will go for this!

The National Post on Harper's death-penalty stance:

"But it is an inescapable fact that our Parliament rejected the death penalty as immoral in a 1976 free vote. Until this collective national judgment is formally reversed, it is inappropriate for our government to stand mute as a Canadian is subjected to a punishment in the United States that we ourselves would never permit."

Now the National Post does not come right out and oppose the death penalty, I'm not sure what their editorial stance is on this matter. To their credit though, regardless of their stance, at least the National Post sees this as an issue for parliament. If Harper wants to change the rules, he should say so.

Harper Unveils his New Platform

You knew this was coming:

Kady O'Malley on Hang'em Harper

What the Cons ought to do according to Ms. O'Malley:

"If the Conservatives are serious about reversing our longstanding position on the death penalty - a position, incidentally, that did not originate with the Liberals, but with the previous incarnation of the Tories - then they should have the courage to bring the matter to the House of Commons for a thorough debate, if not a vote - a free vote, one would assume, given the party's stance on issues of conscience."

Aw hell, these guys are in love with confidence votes, I still say we should make this a confidence vote.

Bring Down Hang'em Harper

Is there a way that the opposition can make the Conservative government fall on this? These guys are apparently fans of the death penalty, and they are no longer interested in shielding Canadians from a practice that this country long ago dismissed as abhorrent and ineffective. This is an excellent issue for an election. Dog Harper with nooses at every campaign stop. I'm only half-kidding when I say this. So Stephane, Jack, and Gilles, what do ya say?

A Reason to Oppose the Death Penalty

...or rather a picture, being that they are said to be worth a thousand words:












(HT)