We need equal protection by law from violence for Canadian children

The physical punishment of children as a means of discipline is an erroneous outdated narrative. Even a cursory examination of the literature shows that repealing Sec. 43 has nothing to do with political stripe or position. The need for its repeal and improved education about the rights of children today is particularly pressing.

Indigenous children, pictured in this undated photo at the former Metlakatla Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The horrific discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves of Indigenous Canadian children on properties of schools funded by the Government of Canada and administered by Christian churches has rightfully shocked Canadians. The discovery becomes especially egregious when one realizes that the very laws that facilitated this atrocity remain part of the Criminal Code of Canada, despite many internal and external efforts to repeal the offending section. Photograph courtesy of William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada

Opinion

BY GEORGE ZIMMERMAN

July 19, 2021

OTTAWA—Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada should be repealed because it denies Canadian children the same protection from violence afforded adults. The horrific discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves of Indigenous Canadian children on properties of schools funded by the Government of Cana...

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