Blame Canada

A Canadian citizen on death row in Montana is appealing to his country's government to help him avoid execution. Ronald Allen Smith was convicted of two murders in 1983 and has been on Montana's death row (population: 2) ever since. He recently filed a suit with Canada's Federal Court which argues that the Canadian government's decision not to fight harder for a commutation of his sentence is wrong, even illegal. Canada has outlawed the death penalty and has called Montanan officials and requested a commutation of Smith's sentence before, to no avail. This case raises interesting moral and international implications. Once again, the United States' view on capital punishment is being contrasted with the world's wider consensus through a high-stakes international and, in this case, judicial showdown.