Canadian government opposes capital punishment and promotes euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

On October 10, 2022 Global Affairs Canada sent out a media release from Mélanie Joly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs on World Day Against the Death Penalty which stated:

“This year, we mark the 20th World Day Against the Death Penalty. Canada is proud to be part of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Although we are encouraged by the progress made in abolishing capital punishment in certain countries, we continue to oppose the use of the death penalty in all cases everywhere.

“Capital punishment is an affront to human rights and dignity, an ineffective deterrent to crime, and it often compounds injustice by intersecting with other forms of discrimination. No system of justice is free from error, and the use of the death penalty can lead to irreversible injustice when those who are not guilty or who have been falsely accused are executed.

“A world without the death penalty is within our grasp. On this day, Canada joins with the global movement to abolish the death penalty in calling on the minority of countries where capital punishment still exists to ensure due process and fair trials, to pause any planned executions and, to completely end the use of the death penalty.”

I oppose killing people. Therefore I oppose killing people by euthanasia, assisted suicide and the death penalty. Similar to the death penalty, no system of justice or medical assessment is free from error and the use of euthanasia or assisted suicide can lead to irreversible injustice when someone is falsely killed by lethal injection.

Euthanasia results in irreversible deaths in the same way that capital punishment does.

In a recent interview with the Toronto Star, Canada's Justice Minister David Lametti stated that euthanasia for mental illness is more humane than suicide.

Lametti needs to resign for stating that euthanasia is justified based on it providing a more humane death than suicide. A just society prevents suicide, it does not facilitate it.