Years of watching violent criminals return quickly to the street have finally changed public opinion in Canada. According to a Research Co. survey, support for reinstating the death penalty for murder has risen to 60% in 2026, up from 51% in 2020, while opposition has fallen to 30%.
Peel police officer shot in Mississauga
As Joe Warmington writes in the Toronto Sun, a plainclothes Peel Regional Police officer was allegedly shot at multiple times early Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Mississauga, Ont. Sources said there were more bullets left in the chamber that were not able to be fired as a result of a hero cop’s move to rescue his at-risk partner. Witnesses reported hearing at least three gunshots and said a Peel cop drove his squad car into the alleged shooter, effectively ending the threat.
The accused, Isaiah Bachoo, 24, of Brampton, was arrested and faces serious charges. Police stated that at the time of his arrest, Bachoo was subject to multiple court-ordered firearms prohibitions stemming from previous firearm-related convictions in Thunder Bay in 2023, including a lifetime prohibition from possessing prohibited or restricted firearms, prohibited devices and ammunition, as well as a 10-year prohibition from possessing any firearm.
Public faith in justice system erodes
Columnist Jerry Agar argues that such stories have led to a loss of faith in the justice system. “It is the constant drumbeat of stories — like the one I led off with regarding the accused in the Peel cop shooting — that has more and more Canadians saying, ‘Enough already,’” Agar writes.
Research Co. president Mario Canseco noted, “When Research Co. began tracking the perceptions of Canadians on the death penalty in 2020, just over half of the country’s residents (51%) expressed a desire to bring back capital punishment for murder cases. Six years later, our collective perceptions have hardened. For the first time, we are twice as likely to find a Canadian who supports reinstating the death penalty for murder in Canada (60%, up four points since 2025) than to talk to one who opposes its return (30%, down two points).”
Call for tougher sentencing
Agar supports the death penalty when evidence is overwhelming but is willing to accept a system that gets tougher on violent criminals from the first conviction, with life in prison meaning actual life in prison, no parole, and no faint hope. “The only faint hope is that politicians and courts are paying attention,” he concludes.
