The Liberal Government of Canada is committed to repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code, also called as the Spanking Law, which states that parents are allowed to use reasonable force to discipline their children.
According to Huffington Post, the Liberals are compelled to revoke a law that permits parents to use physical force including spanking on a child. The decision comes after they settled to meet all recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). There are 94 recommendations from the commission and one is the call to repeal the Spanking Law.
Section 43 of the Criminal Code states that:
"Every schoolteacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child, as the case may be, who is under his care, if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances."
The site recalled the law was supported by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004. Of the nine justices, six agreed that the Spanking Law did not violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They felt that it protected parents, guardians and teachers from prosecution in cases where necessary force was used to correct a child's behavior.
CBC News reported that the recent development fuel debates among Canadians as spanking stays a conflict-ridden issue. Many consider that spanking is an effective corrective technique while others view it as a form of abuse.
While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not yet available for comment as inquired by Life Site News, he pledge during election that he will implement the 94 recommendations of the TRC. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould confirmed they are committed to implement each of the calls of actions.
The site also quoted spokesman Christian Girouard saying "At this point, we cannot speculate on potential legislative or policy approaches to address this issue."
The Criminal Code, in Article 43, permits parents and teachers "reasonable" use of force. It states: "Every schoolteacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child, as the case may be, who is under his care, if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances."
Many attempts have been made over the years to dismiss Article 43 from the Criminal Code via private members' bills in the House of Commons, but all were not successful.
