Homolka/serial killers questions

Public Release Date: Embargoed until Friday, November 19 at 9:00pm (EDT)

This National Angus Reid Group/Globe and Mail/CTV poll is based on a national telephone survey conducted between November 4 th and November 14 th , 1999 among a representative cross-section of 1,500 Canadian adults. These data are statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional, age and sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to 1996 Census data.

With a national sample of 1,500, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results are within +2.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

Today it was revealed that 1994 convicted killer Karla Homolka has withdrawn her bid to seek temporary passes from Joliette prison. Homolka was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for the deaths of two Ontario teenagers. The notorious case, involving her husband Paul Bernardo who was imprisoned indefinitely for his primary role in the killings, is also back in the headlines. On the same day that Ms. Homolka withdrew her bid, documents became available that highlighted Paul Bernardo's appeal for a new trial claiming the judge made errors in law and pointing the finger at his ex-wife for having played a primary role in the killings.

An Angus Reid / Globe and Mail / CTV poll released tonight indicates that a full majority (75%) of Canadians believe that "since Ms. Homolka committed such a terrible crime, she should be locked up until the day of her parole and have no access to any privileges". Further, 65% of Canadians support the death penalty for serial killers and those who murder police officers or prison guards. The death penalty has been hotly debated from time to time over the last two decades since its abolition by Parliament in 1975.

These are the highlights gleaned from a national Angus Reid Group/Globe and Mail/CTV telephone survey of 1,500 Canadian adults. Interviews were conducted between November 4 th and November 14 th , 1999. A sample size of 1,500 is said to have a corresponding margin of error of +2.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty. For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900