Mr. Speaker, the second set of petitions I would like to present comes with signatures of 52 Canadians from Manitoba and British Columbia. It is most appropriate for these petitions to be introduced on national child day.
These citizens of Canada support retention of section 43 of the Criminal Code which states: “Every school teacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child who is under his care if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances”.
The petitioners believe the government is weakening the role of parents in determining what is in the best interests of the child by continuing to fund research and court challenges by people who advocate the removal of section 43. So your petitioners request Parliament to affirm the duty of parents to responsibly raise their children according to their own conscience and beliefs and retain section 43 in Canada's Criminal Code as it is currently worded.