Join the Official Facebook Group to support Bill S-204

Section 43 of the Criminal Code is a 19th century provision allowing parents to hit children for the purpose of “correction.” Standard child-rearing violence causes harm to children. It carries the risk of physical injury and negative psychological impact. Children who are physically punished are more likely to exhibit anxiety, depression or aggressive behaviour such as bullying.

1- Join our campaign to repeal Section 43. Support Senator Hervieux-Payette’s Bill S-204.

Contact the Prime Minister of Canada and your local M.P. to urge support.

For information on Section 43 of the Criminal Code and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, visit www.repeal43.org.

Express your support to the Senator Hervieux-Payette.

 2- Support the Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth

We, the co-signing organizations of the joint statement, urge the repeal of Section 43 and call on the government to send a message that children have the same right to protection from assault as all other Canadians.

For more information on the joint statement, please visit:

OTTAWA, May 28th, 2009 - As honourable senators know, in 1633, Galileo was condemned by the Catholic Church and forced to recant his scientific belief that the Earth was not the centre of the universe. The scientific community recognized its error a century later. The Catholic Church took somewhat longer and did not acknowledge its error until 1992.

Honourable senators, we have our own Galileos today, those with a scientific conviction that child-rearing violence is the cause of many more ills than we are prepared to believe.

What if the dark side of human nature were the result of standard child-rearing violence?

What if human nature were originally good but was corrupted by totally inappropriate child-rearing techniques?

That is what I will attempt to demonstrate, honourable senators.

OTTAWA, January 27th, 2009 - Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette introduced Bill S-209 against the standard child-rearing violence.