The Debate on Capital Punishment in Canada Essay

The Debate on Capital Punishment in Canada - Essay Example e history of capital punishment in Canada dates back to 1749 when Peter Cartcel was hanged to death after he was convicted of the murder of one person and injuring two other people (Matthiassen, MÃ ¶ller and Forsman, 2003.). That act became the beginning of capital punishment in Canada and has remained in the law books of the country since then. But looking at the fact that the life of a person is the most expensive treasure that any one can possess, I oppose the capital punishment, which prescribes that those who take life must have their lives taken. From a legal perspective, am against capital punishment in Canada because people can be accused wrongly of the murder of other people and once death penalty is prescribed for such people, it will not be possible to restore their lives after they are latter found to be innocent. There remain several accounts in the legal system of Canada whereby people who have been convicted of murder cases have appealed their cases and own (SacKinnon, 1999). This means that any hasty decisions and actions that were taken to prescribe the capital punishment for these people would have deprived these people forever and there would have been no means of reversing their judgment. Meanwhile, the laws of the land demand that all people who are accused of cases have the right to appeal in higher courts of hearing (Mathiassen and Ahsberg, 2009,). Essentially, any person who is given the capital punishment and eventually executed will be denied that precious right to appeal. What is more, the laws are very silent on the number of years within which a person may appeal his or her judgment. Therefore, if people who are accused of murder are speared their lives, they will be in a better position to benefit from the law of appeal in many years to come so that they can have criminal charges leveled against them reversed. On humanitarian grounds, there can virtually be no argument that supports the killing of human life as the human life is very