If Ottawa has its way, Bill S-206 will make you a criminal if you use force (even if it’s reasonable) to discipline your child.

We wondered when this was coming.

So, if it passes, the next time you lightly spank your son or daughter, you could be charged with assault.

Gee, won’t some kids love that.

This bill removes the justification available to school teachers, parents and guardians of using force as a means to correct a misbehaving child.

The government says the bill protects children “against standard child-rearing violence.”

For years, under Section 43 of the Criminal Code, the government had no qualms about parents using “reasonable” force to discipline a child. But now it does for some reason. Must be too many kids complaining about being spanked for disrespecting their parents. Or too many holier-than-thou individuals squealing on moms and dads trying to teach their kids right from wrong.

Banning the use of reasonable force, such as swatting an ill-behaved child on the buttocks takes away an arguably effective means of discipline.

While speaking to a child is always the preferred method of correcting misbehaviour, that doesn’t always work. So parents need to have an alternate method. The fact is removing Section 43 from the Criminal Code would leave parents and teachers without a legal defence.

We also agree that repealing this section would give Ottawa yet another opportunity to intrude into the homes of loving parents trying to discipline their children within reason.

The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) says Bill S-206 will make criminals out of parents who try to correct their child’s insolence, even by touching them, which will be considered assault.

That alone is an infringement on the rights and responsibilities of all parents to raise their children.

Like ARPA says, Bill S-206 is not about stopping child abuse because that’s already prohibited. It’s about an arbitrary and ideological approach being forced on all parents.

Too many youth disrespect their parents today, while others are fast approaching a life of crime. Parents have lost all control over them, police are swarmed by them, and the courts are a joke. And guess what – these kids know it.

Here’s an interesting news story from 1932:

A juvenile court judge in Penticton bemoaned the fact that the law could no longer allow him to impose the punishment of a good sound thrashing on wayward youth. He uttered these words when sitting in judgment of four boys (age 14-17) charged with causing willful damage to their school on Halloween night.

The judge gave them suspended sentences but ordered their parents to pay for the damages.

Wonder if the boys got a good thrashing when they got home?

We really fear what this new law might do to undermine parents and our society.

Lyonel Doherty, editor