Vancouver group hopes for changes to the criminal code over spanking

NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) – Educators in New Westminster are getting involved in the debate over whether it’s okay to spank a child. The school board plans to advocate for the section of the criminal code allowing it to be repealed.

Section 43 of the criminal code permits a parent, guardian or teacher to give an open handed slap on the bottom as a correction. The provision was made back in the late 1800’s.

The group Corinne’s Quest advocates for the removal of the section and made a presentation to the school board, asking for support. The board unanimously passed a motion this week to appeal to the provincial and federal governments to get rid of section 43.

For Board Chair Jonina Campell, the section doesn’t fit with Canada’s role as a signatory to the UN’s Convention of the Rights of the Child. She says we should not allow adults to hit children when the same action against an adult is a crime. “I can’t speak to the individual reasons for all of the trustees, but I think that we’re all equal under the law and therefore our children should be as safe as everybody else.”

There are plans to write to the prime minister, federal justice minister, and minister of health. They’ll also ask for provincial government support for repealing the section. The New Westminster School Board will submit this at the next AGM for the BC School Trustees Association.

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