Liberals' promise to repeal so-called spanking law fuels debate
CBC News | Posted: December 22, 2015 5:40 PM | Last Updated: December 22, 2015
Government has promised to adopt all Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations
The Canadian government has signalled it may change federal rules surrounding spanking as a punishment — and while many online users support the idea of banning it, others say the government should take a "hands-off" approach to how parents discipline their children.
Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada currently allows parents and school teachers to discipline children in their care using "reasonable" force. The so-called spanking law was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004.
The federal Liberals would repeal the law as part of their pledge to meet all the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which calls this corporal punishment a "relic of a discredited past" that "has no place in Canadian schools or homes."
The call to repeal the section was the No. 6 recommendation of the TRC's 94 "calls to action."
Spanking remains divisive issue
While many argue spanking is a form of child abuse, others believe it's a harmless but effective disciplinary method.
Canadians are divided.