Mr. Speaker, I understand there are not too many minutes left in the debate, but I would like to make a few comments on the topic.
The youth justice bill we are talking about today and the whole initiative of the minister are interesting. I tend to suggest we have to think about the bill as dealing with the problem at the end of the process, at the end of the issue. When we have a young person that has been incarcerated or is in serious trouble, something has gone on prior to that. The whole legislation deals with the end of the process.
It is interesting with some of the tragic events that have occurred in Taber and south of the border that there is a cry for increased parental responsibility. There are some elements of that in the legislation, in particular with regard to the accountability of parents for failing to supervise their child once charged and then put in their care. If they fail to properly supervise that child they can be held accountable. We think that is good legislation that came largely out of an initiative of one of the members of our party.
I submit to the House and to all Canadians that responsibility is important, but it comes along with something else we have undermined in society. The government has in fact been instrumental in undermining it, and that is respect for the role of parents, respect for the authority that parents should have in their own homes. Parents must be able to establish limits on their children at an early age. They must be free to do that without fear of some sort of social child advocacy agency coming down on them.
That is in no way to condone neglect or abuse, certainly not. Not every parent is a bad parent. Many parents are doing a great job. If we are to hold parents responsible, we must also respect the authority and the role of parents. That speaks to what the hon. member from the Conservative Party just spoke about, the role of the family. Parents are the heads of the family.
I am concerned right now that in Canada there are those who are undermining the authority of parents. There is a court challenge ongoing in Canada today funded by the Liberal Party court challenges program. That court challenge is to strike down section 43 of the Criminal Code. Section 43 of the Criminal Code allows parents to apply reasonable force in the disciplining of their children.
Some of the child advocates do not think parents should have that right. They have gone to court to try to strike down that law, using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child largely as their undermining moral legitimatization of the court challenge. This undermining, this taking away of the freedoms and the authority of parents in their own homes to limit what their children view, to limit the people they associate with, to apply appropriate discipline, as necessary, as the parents see fit, is a key part of undermining the care that Canadian children are given.
Parents know best what their children need. There are those in the House and in some child advocacy groups that feel they know best and parents are there to help the state or the academic expert decide what is best for children.
We should start to respect the role of parents and allow parents to structure and discipline in their own homes, free from the fear of some child advocate or some child police agency coming down on them and charging them for disciplining their children. Otherwise that is where the breakdown begins.
Mr. Speaker, when you and I were in school some stern discipline was applied. I know at times I was a recipient of that discipline. It did not hurt me any and I am sure it did not hurt you any.
