EXHIBIT 31.1
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               CERTIFICATION REQUIRED BY RULE 13A-14(A) OR 15D-14
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


CERTIFICATION


I, Ernie G. Sapieha,  President & Chief Executive  Officer of Compton Petroleum
Corporation, certify that:

1.    I have  reviewed  this  annual  report on Form 40-F of Compton  Petroleum
      Corporation;

2.    Based on my knowledge,  this report does not contain any untrue statement
      of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
      statements  made,  in  light  of  the  circumstances   under  which  such
      statements  were made, not misleading  with respect to the period covered
      by this report;

3.    Based on my knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and other  financial
      information  included  in this  report,  fairly  present in all  material
      respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of
      the issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.    The  issuer's  other  certifying   officer  and  I  are  responsible  for
      establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls and  procedures  (as
      defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the issuer and
      have:

      a)    Designed such disclosure  controls and  procedures,  or caused such
            disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under  our
            supervision,  to ensure that material  information  relating to the
            issuer, including its consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made known to
            us by others within those entities,  particularly during the period
            in which this report is being prepared;

      b)    Evaluated the effectiveness of the issuer's disclosure controls and
            procedures and presented in this report our  conclusions  about the
            effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures,  as of the
            end of the period covered by this report based on such  evaluation;
            and

      c)    Disclosed  in this  report  any  change  in the  issuer's  internal
            control over financial  reporting  that occurred  during the period
            covered by the annual report that has  materially  affected,  or is
            reasonably  likely to  materially  affect,  the  issuer's  internal
            control over financial reporting; and

5.    The issuer's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,  based on our
      most recent evaluation of internal control over financial  reporting,  to
      the  issuer's  auditors  and the audit  committee  of  issuer's  board of
      directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

      a)    All significant  deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design
            or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
            reasonably  likely to  adversely  affect  the  issuer's  ability to
            record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

      b)    Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that  involves  management or
            other  employees  who  have a  significant  role  in  the  issuer's
            internal control over financial reporting.


Dated this 23rd day of March, 2006.


/s/ Ernie G. Sapieha
---------------------------------
Ernie G. Sapieha
President & Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer),
Compton Petroleum Corporation