Most Canadians support reinstating death penalty for murderers, poll shows

Death Penalty. Image credit Pixaby

CMEDIA: According to a new poll conducted by Research Co. it was reportedly found that the majority of Canadians support reinstating the death penalty for murder.

54 percent of Canadians support relying on capital punishment on murder conviction, according to the survey, a hike by three points since a similar survey conducted by the group in February 2022.

62 percent of Albertans according to Research Co.’s data, 60 percent of both Saskatchewans and Manitoba, and and 58 percent of Ontario and B.C. residents showed support forthe death penalty.

The return of the death penalty was welvomed by over half 55 percent of Atlantic Canada and 43 percent of Quebec residents.

“Almost three-in-five Canadians aged 55 and over (59 per cent, up four points) would welcome the return of the death penalty,” Research Co. President Mario Canseco said in a news release. “The numbers are slightly lower among those aged 35-to-54 (54 per cent, up three points) and those aged 18-to-34 (50 per cent, up three points).”

Conservative Party with 71 percent voters showed more suppoort of the death penalty while the support for NDP’s in 2021 wss lower (49 percent, down three points) and 48 percent of the Liberal Party (down one point).

53 per cent of Canadians preferred murderers should be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, while 37 percent would prefer the death penalty.

According to the data, 66 percent of Canadians were worried about the possibility of a person being wrongly convicted and executed and opposed the return of the death penalty .

Almost more than half of respondents (51 per cent) believe that the death penalty will save taxpayers money compared to the costs associated with keeping a person behind bars.

Even before the death penalty in Canada was abolished in 1976, federal governments had regularly commuted death sentences to life imprisonment. The last executions in Canada took place in 1962.

1,000 Canadian adults had participated in this online survey conducted from March 10 to March 12, 2023. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The results are considered accurate within +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.

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