Senator Plett: Again, as I said to Senator McPhedran, the courts have decided that. They have come out with it. You and I do not need to decide that. The courts have decided it for us.

Senator Plett: First of all, again, Senator McPhedran, I did not set the parameters; the courts did. I didn’t make the law that you can give two slaps; the courts did. You should ask the courts, which is possibly where this is going again. I simply spoke.

Let me give you an example, Senator McPhedran. You say children have no say; I’m going to use an example. My son may disown me for the rest of his life for giving this example, but let me tell you about the first spanking I wanted to give my son. He was maybe four years old, and my wife and I had a disagreement on whether I should do this. He had done something that I thought deserved a spanking. I called him into the bedroom and I had him stand in front of me. There was no anger. I asked him whether he knew what he had done was wrong. Yes, he did. And I said, “You know, son, I’m going to have to give you a spanking for what you did.” He never argued with me. I discussed it with him. He then said, “Okay, dad, but before you do, could I tell you something?” I said, “Certainly you could.” And I was sitting; he was standing. He climbed onto my lap and he put his arms around my neck, and he said, “I just want to tell you, dad, that I love you.” He did not get a spanking that day. So don’t tell me children can’t negotiate their way out of it. They can.

Senator McPhedran: Thank you very much. It is a short question, and something that troubled me for many years and I want to share it with you.

How is it that we, as lawmakers, can justify that physical assault from any one of us as an adult against another adult is illegal, but a similar level of assault by a parent against a child is legal in Canada and would continue to be so if we don’t follow through on this bill?

Hon. Marilou McPhedran: Senator Plett, would you take a question from me?