From bob at compar.com Fri Nov 2 11:14:21 2007
From: bob at compar.com (Bob Wakfer)
Date: Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:14:21 -0400
Subject: [cdn_abolition] [Fwd: Ronald Allen Smith, Montana Death Row]
Message-ID: <472B3ECD.1090108@compar.com>
Hello Everyone,
I'm forwarding this email from Janet Peterson Bryan to everyone on the
Canadian Abolition Project mailing list. If you haven't spotted this
news item yet read the following articles:
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=e7aaf321-9652-4096-9142-ee27414dacce&k=25145
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jta09maVUKqAfQVm85xw8v4IsM5w
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/11/01/death-penalty.html
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/supreme_court_decision_could_affect_flathead_murderer/1154/
Now the question is what are we going to do in response? In the past it
has been very difficult to get any real interest in Canadian issues, but
this action can only be seen as the thin edge of the wedge. Are we going
to ignore this or are we going to make our voice heard?
--
Regards,
Bob Wakfer
Computer Partners
Toll Free Number 877-733-UNIX (8649)
voice 519-746-1607 |fax 519-746-7566 | cell 519-572-2775
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Ronald Allen Smith, Montana Death Row
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 10:27:54 -0400
From: Janet Peterson Bryan
To: Bob Wakfer
Hello Bob,
I'm certain that you've heard the statement of Stockwell Day and the
Conservative government in Ottawa concerning their non-intervention
regarding the above who faces execution. This is, as you know,
unprecedented.
I'm alarmed and furious. My feeling since the election of Harper is
that the death penalty debate will be re-opened here. This represents
to me the tip of the iceberg.
Is there some concerted action the abolitionist community in Canada may
take to make our feelings known? I really believe that this government
must be held accountable for the non-protection of Canadian citizens.
I never have felt my Canadian passport was worth a damned thing anyhow.
Thanks, Bob.
Jan
From abe at cuadp.org Fri Nov 2 12:12:31 2007
From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz)
Date: Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:12:31 -0500
Subject: [cdn_abolition] [Fwd: Ronald Allen Smith, Montana Death Row]
In-Reply-To: <472B3ECD.1090108@compar.com>
References: <472B3ECD.1090108@compar.com>
Message-ID: <0JQV00CMTZRP1VD0@vms044.mailsrvcs.net>
go get em!
At 10:14 AM 11/2/2007, Bob Wakfer wrote:
>Hello Everyone,
>
>I'm forwarding this email from Janet Peterson Bryan to everyone on the
>Canadian Abolition Project mailing list. If you haven't spotted this
>news item yet read the following articles:
>
>http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=e7aaf321-9652-4096-9142-ee27414dacce&k=25145
>http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jta09maVUKqAfQVm85xw8v4IsM5w
>http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/11/01/death-penalty.html
>http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/supreme_court_decision_could_affect_flathead_murderer/1154/
>
>Now the question is what are we going to do in response? In the past it
>has been very difficult to get any real interest in Canadian issues, but
>this action can only be seen as the thin edge of the wedge. Are we going
>to ignore this or are we going to make our voice heard?
>
>--
>Regards,
>
>Bob Wakfer
>Computer Partners
>Toll Free Number 877-733-UNIX (8649)
>voice 519-746-1607 |fax 519-746-7566 | cell 519-572-2775
>
>
>
>-------- Original Message --------
>Subject: Ronald Allen Smith, Montana Death Row
>Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 10:27:54 -0400
>From: Janet Peterson Bryan
>To: Bob Wakfer
>
>
>
>Hello Bob,
>
>I'm certain that you've heard the statement of Stockwell Day and the
>Conservative government in Ottawa concerning their non-intervention
>regarding the above who faces execution. This is, as you know,
>unprecedented.
>
>I'm alarmed and furious. My feeling since the election of Harper is
>that the death penalty debate will be re-opened here. This represents
>to me the tip of the iceberg.
>
>Is there some concerted action the abolitionist community in Canada may
>take to make our feelings known? I really believe that this government
>must be held accountable for the non-protection of Canadian citizens.
>
>I never have felt my Canadian passport was worth a damned thing anyhow.
>
>Thanks, Bob.
>
>Jan
>
>_______________________________________________
>cdn_abolition mailing list
>cdn_abolition at compar.com
>http://listadmin.compar.com/mailman/listinfo/cdn_abolition
From aiwarren at sympatico.ca Sat Nov 3 10:51:11 2007
From: aiwarren at sympatico.ca (Mark and Heather Warren)
Date: Sat, 03 Nov 2007 10:51:11 -0400
Subject: [cdn_abolition] good editorial re: clemency policy reversal
In-Reply-To: <472B3ECD.1090108@compar.com>
References: <472B3ECD.1090108@compar.com>
Message-ID: <472C8ADF.6000902@sympatico.ca>
From today's The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo):
Defend Canadians on U.S. death row
The Record
Nov. 3, 2007
Twenty-five years ago, an Alberta man named Ronald Smith kidnapped and
murdered two young aboriginal brothers for no better reason than he
craved the thrill of killing them.
For that heartless, unprovoked crime, committed in the American state of
Montana, Smith deserves to be imprisoned for the rest of his life,
deprived of basic liberties that law-abiding people take for granted.
But he does not deserve to die. And the federal Conservatives made a
huge error this week when they decided they will no longer try to save
the lives of Canadian citizens, like Smith, who are sentenced to be
executed in the United States.
It is easy to fear and loathe this murderer. It is more difficult to
understand that the moral arguments against the taking of a human life
also apply to governments that would kill in the name of justice. But
the Canadian government should understand.
In Canada, Parliament abolished the death penalty for most crimes in
1976, and all crimes in 1998. In doing this, the government realized
capital punishment is the supreme violation of the individual's most
fundamental right -- the right to life.
In addition, it agreed that executing criminals, no matter what the
offence, is truly barbaric, deters no crime and can mistakenly result in
the death of people who are later found to be innocent.
Just as successive federal governments have recognized that nobody in
Canada should face the cruel punishment of execution, they have worked
to protect Canadians sentenced to death in other countries. Prime
Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives now say they will do this only
in selective cases, in countries that aren't democracies or have a
flawed legal system.
But when it comes to the United States, which is a democracy with a rule
of law as robust as our own, the Harper government is content to let
Canadian citizens go to their death. This is wrong.
The Americans themselves are currently reviewing and questioning the
death penalty. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a challenge to
lethal injections -- the way Ronald Smith would be executed -- convicted
criminals are increasingly winning reprieves. This year, in fact, may
see 42 executions in the U.S., the lowest number in 13 years. The
official views of Canada, a respected neighbour, friend and ally of the
U.S., could play a constructive role in this debate. And Canada should
be involved.
After all, the day the Conservatives announced that Smith would be left
to die in the U.S., Canada joined 71 other countries to call for an
international moratorium on the death penalty. Our Supreme Court has
already made it virtually impossible to extradite foreigners from Canada
to countries that might execute them.
If the life of a Canadian citizen is worth defending in Canada or Saudi
Arabia, regardless of the crime that citizen has committed, it is worth
defending in the U.S., too. Canada has rejected the death penalty at
home. It wants the world to reject the death penalty everywhere. And it
protects non-citizens who might face execution if they are deported from
Canada. For the sake of consistency and, even more, morality, the
federal government should reverse the decision it made this week. It
should speak up for Ronald Smith. Yes, he is a killer. Yes, he should be
punished. But he should not die with an executioner's needle shooting
poison into his arm.
Bob Wakfer wrote:
>Hello Everyone,
>
>I'm forwarding this email from Janet Peterson Bryan to everyone on the
>Canadian Abolition Project mailing list. If you haven't spotted this
>news item yet read the following articles:
>
>http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=e7aaf321-9652-4096-9142-ee27414dacce&k=25145
>http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jta09maVUKqAfQVm85xw8v4IsM5w
>http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/11/01/death-penalty.html
>http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/supreme_court_decision_could_affect_flathead_murderer/1154/
>
>Now the question is what are we going to do in response? In the past it
>has been very difficult to get any real interest in Canadian issues, but
>this action can only be seen as the thin edge of the wedge. Are we going
>to ignore this or are we going to make our voice heard?
>
>
>
--
Mark Warren
Human Rights Research
Ottawa, Canada
(613) 256-8308
http://www3.sympatico.ca/aiwarren
************************************************
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s)
and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any
unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.
If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender
by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
************************************************
From aiwarren at sympatico.ca Tue Nov 27 18:30:54 2007
From: aiwarren at sympatico.ca (Mark and Heather Warren)
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:30:54 -0500
Subject: [cdn_abolition] Ron Smith takes Canada to court
Message-ID: <474CA8AE.5010205@sympatico.ca>
Death-row Canadian challenges Tory government policy on executions
Jennifer Ditchburn, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Published Tuesday November 27th, 2007
OTTAWA - A Canadian double-murderer facing execution in Montana has
taken the Conservative government to court over its sudden change of
policy on the death penalty.
The Tories revealed earlier this month that they would no longer seek
clemency for Ronald Allen Smith or any other mass or multiple murderer
sitting on death row in a democratic country. Up until late October,
officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs had been lobbying for
more than a decade for Smith's life to be spared - in keeping with
longstanding government policy.
Smith was convicted in 1983 of the execution-style murder of two cousins
who picked him up while he was hitch-hiking and has been fighting his
death sentence for over 20 years.
On Wednesday, a team of high-profile Canadian lawyers filed an
application on Smith's behalf at the Federal Court of Canada for a
judicial review of the government's new policy.
They say the government's reversal of its long-standing position on the
use of the death penalty abroad constitutes a "tacit approval" of
Smith's execution.
The application argues that Smith's constitutional rights and
international law are being violated. It calls on the judge to declare
the policy invalid and unlawful, restart efforts to have Smith's
sentence commuted and award him court costs.
"The death penalty is illegal in Canada . . .and inconsistent with our
Charter," said lawyer Lorne Waldman. "We believe our government has an
obligation to seek clemency for Canadian citizens who are at risk of
being subjected to the death penalty."
The Federal Court application will force the Conservatives to submit
documents outlining their policy decision and the arguments behind it.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and his staff had been unwilling to
answer questions about the policy, such as what criteria goes into
deciding that a country is "democratic," or whether criminals convicted
of other heinous crimes such as child murder might also be passed over
on appeals for clemency.
Government statements on the policy have also changed over the weeks. On
November 2nd, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day referred to
"murderers who have been found guilty in a democratic country." Last
Tuesday, Nicholson specified that "multiple or mass murderers" could not
count on government support while on death row.
"I would hope that, through that process, and through the process of
filing affidavits and other documents, the court will be able to
understand what was the basis for this decision," said Waldman.
The government underlines, meanwhile, that it has no intention of
reopening the domestic debate on capital punishment, and supports a
global moratorium on its use.
The leaders of the three opposition parties have written to the governor
of Montana, asking him to commute Smith's sentence to life imprisonment.
A petition to that effect, spearheaded by Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles
Duceppe, is expected to be signed by all opposition MPs on Wednesday.
"I understand that someone who risks losing their life would use all
tools at their disposal," Duceppe told reporters Tuesday. "What I have
trouble understanding is why the government wants to bring us back to a
debate on capital punishment through the back door. That's what they're
doing with this case in Montana."
Capital punishment has been vigorously debated in the state,
particularly because of the use of controversial lethal injections.
Montana also does not bar executions for the mentally disabled.
Smith is one of two inmates on death row in the state. The last Montana
execution was in 2006.
The state senate recently passed a motion to abolish the death penalty,
although it stalled in the lower house.
Executions are effectively on hold across the United States, as the
Supreme Court studies the issue of whether such injections represent
cruel and unusual punishment.
--
Mark Warren
Human Rights Research
Ottawa, Canada
(613) 256-8308
http://www3.sympatico.ca/aiwarren
************************************************
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s)
and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any
unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.
If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender
by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
************************************************
From wagenda at excite.com Thu Nov 29 14:53:57 2007
From: wagenda at excite.com (wagenda sylvestre)
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:53:57 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [cdn_abolition] Unsuscribe
Message-ID: <20071129195357.7ED418B30F@xprdmxin.myway.com>
--- On Tue 11/27, Mark and Heather Warren < aiwarren at sympatico.ca > wrote:
From: Mark and Heather Warren [mailto: aiwarren at sympatico.ca]
To: cdn_abolition at compar.com
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:30:54 -0500
Subject: [cdn_abolition] Ron Smith takes Canada to court
Death-row Canadian challenges Tory government policy on executions
Jennifer Ditchburn, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Published Tuesday November 27th, 2007
OTTAWA - A Canadian double-murderer facing execution in Montana has
taken the Conservative government to court over its sudden change of
policy on the death penalty.
The Tories revealed earlier this month that they would no longer seek
clemency for Ronald Allen Smith or any other mass or multiple murderer
sitting on death row in a democratic country. Up until late October,
officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs had been lobbying for
more than a decade for Smith's life to be spared - in keeping with
longstanding government policy.
Smith was convicted in 1983 of the execution-style murder of two cousins
who picked him up while he was hitch-hiking and has been fighting his
death sentence for over 20 years.
On Wednesday, a team of high-profile Canadian
lawyers filed an
application on Smith's behalf at the Federal Court of Canada for a
judicial review of the government's new policy.
They say the government's reversal of its long-standing position on the
use of the death penalty abroad constitutes a "tacit approval" of
Smith's execution.
The application argues that Smith's constitutional rights and
international law are being violated. It calls on the judge to declare
the policy invalid and unlawful, restart efforts to have Smith's
sentence commuted and award him court costs.
"The death penalty is illegal in Canada . . .and inconsistent with our
Charter," said lawyer Lorne Waldman. "We believe our government has an
obligation to seek clemency for Canadian citizens who are at risk of
being subjected to the death penalty."
The Federal Court application will force the Conservatives to submit
documents outlining their policy decision and the arguments behind
it.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and his staff had been unwilling to
answer questions about the policy, such as what criteria goes into
deciding that a country is "democratic," or whether criminals convicted
of other heinous crimes such as child murder might also be passed over
on appeals for clemency.
Government statements on the policy have also changed over the weeks. On
November 2nd, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day referred to
"murderers who have been found guilty in a democratic country." Last
Tuesday, Nicholson specified that "multiple or mass murderers" could not
count on government support while on death row.
"I would hope that, through that process, and through the process of
filing affidavits and other documents, the court will be able to
understand what was the basis for this decision," said Waldman.
The government underlines, meanwhile, that it has no intention of
reopening the domestic
debate on capital punishment, and supports a
global moratorium on its use.
The leaders of the three opposition parties have written to the governor
of Montana, asking him to commute Smith's sentence to life imprisonment.
A petition to that effect, spearheaded by Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles
Duceppe, is expected to be signed by all opposition MPs on Wednesday.
"I understand that someone who risks losing their life would use all
tools at their disposal," Duceppe told reporters Tuesday. "What I have
trouble understanding is why the government wants to bring us back to a
debate on capital punishment through the back door. That's what they're
doing with this case in Montana."
Capital punishment has been vigorously debated in the state,
particularly because of the use of controversial lethal injections.
Montana also does not bar executions for the mentally disabled.
Smith is one of two inmates on death row in the
state. The last Montana
execution was in 2006.
The state senate recently passed a motion to abolish the death penalty,
although it stalled in the lower house.
Executions are effectively on hold across the United States, as the
Supreme Court studies the issue of whether such injections represent
cruel and unusual punishment.
--
Mark Warren
Human Rights Research
Ottawa, Canada
(613) 256-8308
http://www3.sympatico.ca/aiwarren
************************************************
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s)
and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any
unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.
If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender
by reply e-mail and destroy
all copies of the original message.
************************************************
_______________________________________________
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http://listadmin.compar.com/mailman/listinfo/cdn_abolition
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From aiwarren at sympatico.ca Fri Nov 30 12:06:40 2007
From: aiwarren at sympatico.ca (Mark and Heather Warren)
Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:06:40 -0500
Subject: [cdn_abolition] Canadian Senate to debate death penalty policy
motion
Message-ID: <47504320.6060904@sympatico.ca>
This just in, from today's Senate Order Paper. It's well down the list
and so may not be addressed right away--but it's a very positive step!
http://www.parl.gc.ca/39/2/parlbus/chambus/senate/orderpaper/ord-E.htm
No. 68.
By the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.:
November 29, 2007--That this House urge the Government to reconsider its
decision not to appeal the death sentence of Ronald Smith, a Canadian
citizen, who is on death row in a prison in Montana, and seek from the
American authorities a commutation to life imprisonment; and
That the Government abides by the basic principle of the sanctity of
life and commit itself to supporting, at all international forums, the
abolition of the death penalty in the full knowledge that this country
abolished capital punishment more than 30 years ago.
--
Mark Warren
Human Rights Research
Ottawa, Canada
(613) 256-8308
http://www3.sympatico.ca/aiwarren
************************************************
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s)
and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any
unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.
If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender
by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
************************************************
From wagenda at excite.com Fri Nov 30 14:40:54 2007
From: wagenda at excite.com (wagenda sylvestre)
Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:40:54 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [cdn_abolition] UNSUSCRIBE
Message-ID: <20071130194054.B30558B328@xprdmxin.myway.com>
--- On Fri 11/30, Mark and Heather Warren < aiwarren at sympatico.ca > wrote:
From: Mark and Heather Warren [mailto: aiwarren at sympatico.ca]
To: cdn_abolition at compar.com
Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:06:40 -0500
Subject: [cdn_abolition] Canadian Senate to debate death penalty policy motion
This just in, from today's Senate Order Paper. It's well down the list
and so may not be addressed right away--but it's a very positive step!
http://www.parl.gc.ca/39/2/parlbus/chambus/senate/orderpaper/ord-E.htm
No. 68.
By the Honourable Senator Joyal, P.C.:
November 29, 2007--That this House urge the Government to reconsider its
decision not to appeal the death sentence of Ronald Smith, a Canadian
citizen, who is on death row in a prison in Montana, and seek from the
American authorities a commutation to life imprisonment; and
That the Government abides by the basic principle of the sanctity of
life and commit itself to supporting, at all international forums, the
abolition of the death penalty in the full knowledge that this country
abolished capital punishment more than 30 years ago.
--
Mark Warren
Human Rights Research
Ottawa, Canada
(613) 256-8308
http://www3.sympatico.ca/aiwarren
************************************************
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s)
and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any
unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.
If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender
by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
************************************************
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cdn_abolition mailing list
cdn_abolition at compar.com
http://listadmin.compar.com/mailman/listinfo/cdn_abolition
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