(National Catholic journals unite: ‘Capital punishment must end’, this picture shows that many people against death penalty and want to stop it.)
Capital punishment, also named death penalty, it was a sentence awarded as a consequence to capital offences committed. This sentence was commonly awarded to those considered to pose great danger to society on which death would be an appropriate punishment. There were 5 different ways to execute the death penalty: lethal injection, firing squad, gas chambers, electric chair, and hanging. In Canada, Crimes of murder, treason, and rape carried the death penalty. In 1962, the last execution took place in Canada. Canada had been arguing about capital punishment. After debated, Capital punishment was removed from the Canadian Criminal Code in 1976, but it still remained in the Canadian National Defence Act. “A motion to reintroduce capital punishment was debated in the Canadian House of Commons and defeated on a free vote.” Finally, in 1998, Canada federal government completely abolished the death penalty from the criminal code.
In the story “Two Fishermen,” written by Morley Callaghan, Thomas Delaney was sentenced to hang because he killed a man. If this event happened in Canada, it would have taken place between 1865-1976. As the death penalty was first introduced in 1865s. Yet, after 1976s, the capital punishment has removed from the code. In 1961, the murder was classified into capital and non-capital offenses. “Capital murder offenses in Canada were premeditated murder and murder of a police officer, guard or warden in the course of duty. A capital offense had a mandatory sentence of hanging.” Within the story, Thomas was seeing his wife had been raped and he killed the rapist, “he had killed old Mathew Rhinehart whom he had caught molesting his wife when she had been berry picking in the hills behind the town” (1). Thomas became a premeditated murderer and he executed by hanging at 1865-1976s.
Thomas Delaney should not have been killed for his actions in defending his wife. Although he kills Mathew Rhinehart who has sexually assaulted for his wife, he has defended his wife’s right and saved her life. First of all, Thomas is seeing his wife has been raped and he kills Matthew to act on impulse. His action and reaction is reasonable because no one can be calm at that moment and no one wants to see the lover gets hurt. Secondly, Thomas and Matthew both beat each other when they are fight; “Thomas Delaney had taken a bad beating before he had killed Rhinehart” (1). During the fight, Thomas also gets bad beat from Matthew, so maybe it is just an accident that he kills Matthew. Lastly, the government cannot kill people for no reason, “In the morning, young Thomas Delaney, who had grown up in the town, was being hanged”(1). The government should notify Thomas before he executes by hanging. There also have other ways to solve this problem better than sentence to death. For example, they can put Thomas into jail and give him some time to recognize his guilt, and then give him a chance to renew his life. So, death penalty is not the only way to punish prisoner.
Citation:
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-capital-punishment-in-canada-508141 Munroe, Susan. “How Capital Punishment Was Abolished in Canada.” ThoughtCo. N.p., 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/capital-punishment/ Renke, Wayne, and Paul Gendreau. “Capital Punishment.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.