Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to speak out against corporal punishment.
I believe corporal punishment is an inhuman form of torture that should not be accepted by civilized government. I was appalled to learn that a provincial court judge has recently spoken in favour of caning as an appropriate punishment for young offenders.
In Singapore caning involves victims being lashed on their bare buttocks with a thick bamboo rod by a martial arts expert. These victims bleed after the first lash and are scarred for life. Recent events in Singapore have drawn the world's attention to this colonial form of justice. We could not advance as a civilized nation if we were to practise archaic methods of punishment such as caning.
I strongly believe we cannot deter violence by the threat of inflicting violence against individuals.