Thank you very much.
Evidence of meeting #101 for Justice and Human Rights in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was child.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #101 for Justice and Human Rights in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was child.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
Thank you very much.
For our last two and a half minutes, we will go to Mr. Garrison, please.
NDP
Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
This is the only advantage to being the fourth party: Quite often I get the last question.
I just want to say thank you to the teachers' federations for assigning us homework as members of Parliament to go along with this private member's bill. I do think it raises important points and concerns.
I want to end with a question for Mr. Levasseur, who was very eloquent on both the historical harms and the current harms of the existence of this.
Mr. Levasseur, I wonder if you could talk a bit about what you think the impacts of repealing this section would be in terms of reconciliation and breaking the cycle of violence in families.
As an Individual
First of all, repealing section 43 would send a message indicating that these things were wrong.
Personally, I have known about this article since I was young, but most of the people around me do not. They have no idea. Even in the field of social work, we talk to people about it and they are surprised to learn that it still exists. And yet, these are people who are involved in social work.
I've known about section 43 since I was a child. It gave my parents and educators the right to use corporal punishment.
We've heard people say that corporal punishment has been prohibited since 2004. That's not true. It was restricted, but not prohibited. Canadian law still does not say that corporal punishment is prohibited and that it is wrong. The law still states that it's fine within reason. The fact remains that, even today, it is reasonable that a man can strike his little girl's buttocks. That is still allowed under section 43.
We have to send the message that such behaviour is wrong. It is important to state that it was wrong and a bad cultural practice to subject children to this kind of violence in residential schools and day schools.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Lena Metlege Diab
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much to our witnesses in the second panel. You have given us a lot of homework and many things to think about over the next few hours.
Thank you very much to those who have come in person. Thank you very much, Dr. Kelly, for sharing your legal expertise with us.
With those few words, we will conclude. We will see everybody Thursday morning.
Thank you very much.