KILL THE DEATH PENALTY

A funny thing happened on the way to the gallows. Something almost miraculous occurred this past week in the Canadian House of Commons.

Former Liberal Justice Minster Irwin Cotler put forward a motion upholding the standard that the federal government "should stand consistently against the death penalty, as a matter of principle, both in Canada and around the world."

The motion was Cotler’s response to the Conservative government’s stance on capital punishment. They not only refused to support a United Nations resolution which calls for a global moratorium on the death penalty, the government of Canada, has said it won’t protect Canadians abroad who face the death penalty in other countries.

NDP MP Pat Martin, in a moment of clarity between politically fuelled Liberal bashing rants, voted with the official opposition and added, "if you supported that motion, you stood against the government's current practice, not seeking clemency for Canadians sentenced to death abroad."

The expected retort from the Conservative benches was…expected, but lo and behold, instead of a bang, the Conservatives let the motion pass with a whimper. In fact, the vast majority of Conservative MP’s, including some senior cabinet ministers, actually supported it. 96 Conservatives voted in favour while only 17 did not. 13 Conservative MP’s did not cast a vote, including Stephen Harper.

Cotler, while introducing his motion in the Commons made particular mention of Ronald Allen Smith. The Alberta man has been on death row in Montana since 1982. He is the only Canadian citizen sitting on death row in the U.S.

The Conservative government has stated they would break with long-standing Canadian policy and refuse to seek clemency on behalf of Smith. Last fall the Department of Foreign Affairs issued a release which said Canada will no longer “seek clemency in cases in democratic countries, like the United States, where there has been a fair trial.”

Public Safety Minster Stockwell Day affirmed that stance after the vote last week saying the government will consider capital punishment cases abroad for convicted Canadians on a "case-by-case basis."

Getting back to what Irwin Cotler’s motion that the federal government "should stand consistently against the death penalty, as a matter of principle, both in Canada and around the world." And what Pat Martin said, that "if you supported that motion, you stood against the government's current practice, not seeking clemency for Canadians sentenced to death abroad."

Ironically, Stockwell Day was one of those Conservatives that supported the motion.