The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Supreme Court of Canada on Friday upheld a law allowing parents to spank their children as a means of discipline. In a 6-3 decision, Canada's top court maintained a section of the Criminal Code that allows parents to use "reasonable" physical discipline on their children. At the same time, the court set out guidelines for spanking, declaring that this form of discipline cannot be used on children aged 2-12, must not involve objects such as belts or rulers, and cannot be the product of rage. Their guidelines also state that school teachers cannot use physical punishment, sometimes called corporal punishment, on their students. Teachers can, however, restrain students who would not otherwise comply with instructions. The Supreme Court vote came after Ailsa Watkinson, a Saskatoon social work professor, first took the issue to the Supreme Court nearly a decade ago. The Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law, a children's advocacy group based in Toronto, backed her cause. Watkinson and the foundation argued that upholding the so-called spanking law violates children's civil rights and makes them "second class citizens." But most Canadians supported the court's decision. A public opinion poll completed last week suggests that 64 per cent of Canadians support the parental use of spanking.
