Earlier this year, Canada marked four decades since the abolition of the death penalty. Last July, Insights West looked at how Canadians feel about this issue and found some eye-catching results, both in policy and motivations.
Across the country, 53% of Canadians support reinstating the death penalty for murder in Canada; 36% are opposed. It must be outlined that support, while high, is tepid, with 29% of Canadians saying they are “somewhat” in favour of bringing back capital punishment. Still, the fact that a majority of Canadians would change such a fundamental component of the justice system merits a deeper look.
Men (at 56%) are slightly more likely to be in favour of the death penalty than women (52%). Canadians aged 55 and over are also more supportive of changing the law (59%) than those aged 35 to 54 (51%) or 18 to 34 (also 51%).
Alberta boasts the highest proportion of capital punishment supporters (57%), but British Columbia is not far behind (52%). When the results are analyzed through party lines, people who voted for the federal Conservative Party in 2015 are overwhelmingly in favour of reinstating the death penalty (68%). Canadians who voted for the New Democratic Party or the Liberal Party last year are not as convinced (53% and 48%, respectively).
Our views on the death penalty are also affected by recent news and events. Pollsters who asked this question in the aftermath of the Karla Homolka trial, for instance, garnered higher support for the death penalty than at previous times in the country’s history. This might also explain why Alberta scored higher than any other region this year, because the survey was conducted immediately after Calgary resident Edward Downey was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
What was truly surprising about the latest survey is that the reasons cited by supporters of capital punishment are not purely moral.
When those Canadians who would like to see the death penalty return to Canada were asked about their motivations, only 24% agreed with the notion that “murderers cannot be rehabilitated.”
Half of death penalty supporters (50%) suggest that capital punishment would provide “closure to the families of murder victims,” while a similar proportion (53%) subscribe to the “eye for an eye” dictum: if a murderer has taken a life, the death penalty fits the crime. The idea of capital punishment acting as a deterrent for potential murderers is endorsed by 59% of death penalty supporters.
Surprisingly, none of these reasons are top of mind for Canadians who would like to bring back the death penalty. Almost two-thirds of them (63%) believe the death penalty would save taxpayers money and the costs associated with having murderers in prison.
The survey shows that fiscal concerns are the main reason cited for Canadians who want to change a law that has been in place for four decades. It is atop the list of motives for men (70%), Canadians aged 55 and over (73%) and Conservative voters (also 73%). It is not a shock to see a large majority of Albertans who support the death penalty (78%) side with the notion of saving money. The surprise is that the proportion is slightly higher in British Columbia (82%).
Conversely, opponents of the death penalty in Canada cite the possibility of wrongful convictions (76%) as the main reason to resist any change in existing legislation. Several high-profile cases in the United States have not gone unnoticed by Canadians, who are keenly aware of the mistakes that a justice system can make. •
Mario Canseco is vice-president of public affairs for Insights West.
