Repeal 43 Committee

Contact Ministers, Senators and MPs I Contact Organizations/Individuals | Contact Media l Organize Events l Circulate Petition l Rules for Petitions

Contact Ministers, Senators and MPs

Write or email:
The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, pm@pm.gc.ca
The Hon. Robert Nicholson, Minister of Justice, Nicholson.R@parl.gc.ca

Copy your letter to your MP and leaders of the opposition parties:
The Hon. Stéphane Dion, Liberal Party Canada, dion.s@parl.gc.ca
Mr. Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Québécois, ducepg@parl.gc.ca
Mr. Jack Layton, NDP Party Canada, laytoj@parl.gc.ca

You can find contact infofor MPs at http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html or by phoning the federal government information line 1-800-622-6232

Postal Address for all MPs
Name, M.P.
House of Commons (or Senate)
Ottawa, K1A 0A6

Postage stamps not required
If your organization writes or emails federal ministers advocating repeal, please let us know so we can add the organization’s name to the Supporting Organizations chapter of our website.

Contact Senators
Senator Hervieux-Payette has introduced a new bill (S-207) to repeal s. 43 (see Senate Bill to Repeal S. 43) and we ask supporters to write or email her and copy the letter to a senator from your area to let them know of your support. The Senator’s email address is hervic@sen.parl.gc.ca and the address of senators from your area can be obtained from the government’s free information line at 1-800-622-6232. When Bill S-207 goes to committee, we’ll post the names and addresses of senators on the committee and ask you to contact them as well.

Contact Organizations/ Individuals

Contact organizations you think should support repeal. Ask them to do so. If they want more information, refer them to our web site. Letters from individuals are also important. They can bring a personal perspective to the issue that captures attention.

Contact Media

Write letters to newspapers

Reference your letter to a recent news report dealing with children's issues or related issues. Check editorial pages for information on length and contact addresses. See News/Archives for a selection of published letters to editors.

Participate in TV and radio phone-in shows

Speak out and add your voice to show your support for repeal.

Organize Events

Events that identify the need for repeal can draw public attention and support. The following are some that have been held in the last few years

workshops and debates on section 43
workshops on alternatives to corporal punishment
spank-out days - click our link to www.stophitting.com for information and ideas
creative events highlighting the issue

Circulate Petition

Obtain signatures on a petition and take it to your MP. The petition must be in a specific form and follow certain rules. The parliamentary Clerk of Petitions has approved the form of our petition. Click here to download PDF version of Petition.

Rules for Petitions

Petitions must be in a specific form established by Parliament. The format of the above petition has been approved by the parliamentary Clerk of Petitions.

You must obtain a minimum of 25 signatures showing the home address either in full or the city and province of the persons signing. They do not have to be constituents of the MP presenting the petition.
There are spaces for 30 signatures on the petition. If you wish to obtain more signatures, each new sheet must show the subject matter of the petition.
MPs may be requested to present a petition (whether they agree with it or not) but are not required to do so. It may be presented by your local MP or any other MP.
An MP may present the petition by making a brief statement about it in the House, in which case the statement is reproduced in Hansard, the written proceedings of the House, or by filing it with the Clerk of the House. Ask the MP to present it in the House.
The MP is not allowed to read the petition and no speech may be made but ask the MP to at least state that section 43 allows corporal punishment of children by teachers, parents and those in the place of parents, that the petition asks for repeal, and a brief statement as to why repeal is requested.
A petition may be presented whenever an MP chooses. Ask your MP to send you a copy of Hansard showing his/her presentation of the petition. Follow up if you don't hear within a month of so. Please send a copy of the Hansard excerpt to the Repeal 43 Committee.
The Minister of Justice must table a response in the House within 45 days. Ask your MP to send you the response and forward copy to us.
When we receive a copy of the Minister's response, we will consider a reply and send a copy to you, the presenting MP, and the Minister.