Canadians Speak on Latimer Sentence

Toronto, ON - The results of a recent Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail survey show that a majority (59%) of Canadians oppose the recent Supreme Court decision to uphold Robert Latimer's minimum ten year sentence for second degree murder. In addition, seven in ten (71%) Canadians say that his sentence should be reduced because it was "an act of mercy" as opposed to a quarter (26%) who say that his sentence is warranted because it was an "act of murder".

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll conducted between April 10th and April 12th 2001. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual adult Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

Majority (59%) of Canadians Oppose Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Latimer's Second Degree Murder Sentence

A majority (59%) of Canadians say they oppose the Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold Robert Latimer's mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison. Respondents were read the following preamble:

"As you may know, Robert Latimer deliberately ended his daughter Tracey's life because she was severely disabled and in constant pain. While he said this was a mercy killing, he was convicted of second degree murder. Recently, Robert Latimer appealed his conviction all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Recently, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction and the sentence of life imprisonment with no chance of parole for ten years."

Respondents were then asked "based on what you have seen, read or heard, do you support or oppose the Supreme Court's Decision?" Of the 59 percent who say they oppose the decision, four in ten (41%) say they "strongly oppose" and another one in five (18%) say they "somewhat oppose". Meanwhile almost four in ten (37%) say they support the decision, including 18 percent who "strongly support " and "19 percent who "somewhat support".

• Residents of Quйbec (68%) and B.C. (64%) are more likely than residents of other provinces to oppose the Supreme Court's decision.
• Albertans (42%) are less likely than other Canadians to oppose the Court's decision.

And Seven in Ten (71%) Say Latimer's Sentence Should be Reduced

When asked to choose between two opposite points of view on the issue, 71 percent of Canadians say "Robert Latimer's sentence should be reduced because it was an act of mercy and he was being compassionate because his daughter was severely disabled and in constant pain and therefore he should not be subject to the same punishment as others who commit the same crime." In contrast, a quarter (26%) chose the opposing view, saying "Robert Latimer's sentence which makes him ineligible for parole for ten years is warranted because regardless of whether or not his daughter was severely disabled and in constant pain it was an act of murder and he should be subject to the same punishment as others who commit the same crime."

• Quйbecers (80%) and British Columbians (76%) are most likely to say the sentence should be reduced while residents of Alberta (59%) and Atlantic Canada (63%) are the least likely to say the sentence should be reduced.
• Canadians under 35 (68%) are less likely than those aged 35 and older (74%) to say that Latimer's sentence should be reduced.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900