The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Few issues are as contentious as the death penalty. And when it comes to capital punishment, Canada is a divided nation. A recent online poll conducted by The Globe and Mail found opposition to capital punishment to be 51 per cent, while support was 49 per cent. The question asked was: Are there circumstances where you would find the death penalty an appropriate judicial response? A total of 29,370 votes were cast. Canada's death penalty was abolished from the Criminal Code in 1976. However, an exception remained, as capital punishment could still be used for several military offenses, such as treason and mutiny, though it never was. This exception, which had been included in the National Defence Act, was abolished in 1998. An opinion poll taken in 1998 found that 48 per cent of Canadians supported the death penalty, 47 per cent opposed, and six per cent were unsure.
