Statement made on 19 November 2009 by Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette
Hon. Céline Hervieux-Payette:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. As the honourable senator mentioned earlier, tomorrow we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Canada is a signatory to the convention, which was ratified by 193 countries, not including the United States and Somalia—another major democracy.
Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada dates back to 1892 and authorizes parents to use force, supposedly reasonable force, on children as a method of education.
The Council of Europe, which is comprised of 47 countries, and some countries of the Americas are presently working towards protecting children against child-rearing violence — because they recognize that it is the source of social problems such as drug use, dropping out of school, suicide and others — and 24 countries in the world have already amended their legislation to protect the physical integrity of all children in their country, not just those under 2 years of age or over 12, thus granting them the same rights as other citizens,
When will this Reform Conservative government finally repeal section 43 of the Criminal Code and once and for all provide children with the same rights as all Canadian citizens?
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