Canadians: Send an urgent message to legislators urging them to stop Trudeau’s ‘Online Harms Act’
OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — A group of concerned lawyers and schoolteachers petitioned Canada’s Senate to reject a private bill that would essentially outlaw and criminalize spanking as a means for a parent or guardian or teacher to correct a child’s unruly behavior.
There are two separate bills, one in the House of Commons and the other in Canada’s Senate, that would repeal a corporal punishment provision of Canada’s Criminal Code dating from 1892.
As per Blacklock’s Reporter, the Québec Defence Lawyers Association wrote to the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee that “It is impossible to imagine how a parent could successfully foster their child’s development without ever applying reasonable and minimal force to persuade, constrain or protect the child.”
As it stands now, Section 43 of Canada’s Criminal Code allows parents, as well as teachers and guardians, to use an amount of force that “does not exceed what is reasonable.”
Senate Bill S-251, or An Act to Repeal, would in effect eliminate this clause. According to Defence Lawyers, “Repealing Section 43 of the Criminal Code would expose parents and guardians to criminal prosecution and even convictions for minimal use of force.”
“The Association considers this unacceptable,” it noted.
As recently reported by LifeSiteNews, members of Canada’s Conservative Party have blasted the proposals to ban parents from spanking their children.
House of Commons Bill C-273, which is An Act to Amend the Criminal Code, is sponsored by NDP MP Peter Julian, who claims his legislation is supported by the World Health Organization.
In February, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised “that the government is unwavering in its commitment to ensuring the protection and physical safety of children across the country.”
“We therefore support Bill C‑273 and its important purpose of protecting our children against violence and abuse,” he continued. “We look forward to hearing the experts during study in committee of this important legislation that we will support in a few minutes.”
Canadian Teachers’ Federation rejects anti-spanking laws
As with the Québec Defence Lawyers Association, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation has also petitioned Canadian senators to not support the anti-spanking bills, saying, “Without replacement for Section 43 we anticipate an increase in the number of assault charges filed and prosecuted.”
“As a precaution teachers would be advised not to intervene in situations,” wrote the Federation.
According to the Federation, there are many scenarios in which a teacher uses force to maintain order in the classroom. This includes, “escorting an uncooperative student out of the classroom to the principal’s office,” as well as “restraining a student whose actions were posing harm to others” and dealing with students who had “a history of violent meltdowns.”
Bill S-251 earlier passed Second Reading in the Senate, and Bill C-273 is now awaiting Third Reading in Canada’s House of Commons.
Bill C-272 has the support of the Trudeau Liberals and NDP and is opposed by the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois.
Even if the bills pass and become law, they still may not be enforceable as Canada’s Supreme Court in 2004 upheld the current spanking laws as law constitutional.
Canadians: Send an urgent message to legislators urging them to stop Trudeau’s ‘Online Harms Act’