Canadian Direct Marketing Association

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Admin
Canadian Direct Marketing Association

Canadian Direct Marketing Association

The Taser has been a controversial weapon since it was first authorized for use by Canadian police officers in 1999. The Taser or stun gun sends a short blast of electricity into suspects in order to immobilize their muscles and allow police to subdue them. According to the CBC, there have been 20 Taser-related deaths in Canada between 2003 and 2008. Proponents of the weapon argue that it is less lethal than a firearm and its use should be continued. Critics take the position that the stun gun causes unnecessary deaths and should be banned.

The Death of Robert Dziekanksi

The focus on Taser use in Canada received international attention after the death of 40-year-old Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport two years ago. Dziekanski arrived from Poland as a landed immigrant on October 13, 2007 to join his mother who was living in British Columbia. He became disoriented and ended up spending about fourteen hours in a restricted area of the airport. Eventually he began to throw some furniture around and police were called. Four RCMP officers confronted him and shortly after they arrived, Dziekanski was tasered five times. He died right after the last jolt was fired.

What happened to Robert Dziekanski might have been just one more fatal Taser statistic were it not for airport passenger Paul Pritchard. Pritchard filmed the entire confrontation between Dziekanski and the police and the video contradicted the police officers’ version of events. It was the video seen around the world that led to a public inquiry into the events of October 13 and 14, 2007.

The Braidwood Inquiry into Taser Use and Dziekanski’s Death

The inquiry was headed by Thomas Braidwood, a retired British Columbia appellate court judge and the Braidwood Inquiry was divided into two stages. The first stage, which began on May 5, 2008 dealt with an examination of the Taser itself. On July 23, 2008, Justice Braidwood’s report was tabled in the B.C. legislature. The report concluded that while the Taser itself was beneficial better standards were required for its use in an attempt to minimize deaths from the deployment of the stun gun.