Bill S-214 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 41st Parliament, 1st Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill S-214 would repeal section 43 of the Criminal Code, which currently allows schoolteachers, parents, and guardians to use reasonable force as a means of correction toward children under their care.
Bill S-214 is a proposed federal law that would remove a provision from the Criminal Code known as "section 43." This section currently allows schoolteachers, parents, and people acting as parents to use physical force to correct a child in their care, as long as the force is "reasonable under the circumstances." If this bill becomes law, that legal justification for using physical force as a form of correction would no longer exist. This means that schoolteachers, parents, and guardians could potentially face criminal charges for using physical force to correct a child, even if the force might previously have been considered "reasonable." The bill includes a transition period. If passed and given royal assent, the law would not take effect immediately. Instead, it would come into force either one year after receiving royal assent or on an earlier date set by the Governor in Council (the federal cabinet), whichever comes first. The bill text indicates this delay is intended to allow the government time to educate Canadians about the change and coordinate with provincial governments.
- Repeals section 43 of the Criminal Code, which currently provides a legal justification for schoolteachers, parents, and persons standing in the place of a parent to use force as a means of correction toward a pupil or child under their care
- Removes the 'reasonableness' defence that currently applies to physical correction of children by educators and parents
- Provides a maximum one-year delay between royal assent and the law coming into force to allow for public education and provincial coordination
- Schoolteachers and educators
- Parents and guardians
- Persons standing in the place of a parent (such as foster parents or caregivers)
- Children under the care of these individuals
- The Government of Canada (which would have responsibility for implementation and public education)
- If passed, schoolteachers, parents, and guardians would no longer have a legal justification to use physical force as a means of correction toward children in their care
- Legal consequences could potentially apply to individuals who use physical force for correction of children after the law comes into force
- The government would have up to one year to educate the public and coordinate with provinces before the change takes effect
- Bill received first reading in the Senate on November 7, 2012
- The bill is currently at consideration in committee in the Senate
- If passed, the Act would come into force one year after royal assent or on an earlier date set by order of the Governor in Council, whichever is earlier
- The bill text does not identify specific financial costs or tax impacts
- The bill text does not specify what criminal offences or penalties would apply to the use of physical force for child correction after section 43 is repealed. This would depend on existing Criminal Code provisions that might apply (such as assault offences), but those are not detailed in this bill.
- The bill text does not define what specific criminal charges would apply to physical force used for child correction after the repeal
- The bill does not specify what form the public education or provincial coordination would take during the transition period
- The bill does not explain how existing case law interpreting 'reasonable force' under section 43 would be treated
- It is unclear how this federal change would interact with provincial family law or child protection legislation
- The bill is currently in committee and has not been passed; its ultimate fate is unknown
The legal justification that allows schoolteachers, parents, and guardians to use reasonable physical force to correct children will be removed. This section currently states: 'Every schoolteacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child, as the case may be, who is under his care, if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances.' After repeal, this justification would no longer apply.
Source: Clause 1 of Bill S-214
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
Bill S-214, concerning the protection of children, completed its first reading in the Senate in November 2012 and was later referred to a committee in April 2013.
This record shows the procedural steps for Bill S-214 in the Senate. The bill had its first reading on November 7, 2012. Later, on April 23, 2013, it was referred to a committee. The bill is currently at the committee stage. The record also lists similar bills from previous Parliaments that dealt with the protection of children.
In the Senate on November 7, 2012, Bill S-214, an Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children), was introduced and received first reading, alongside other routine proceedings and debates.
This document records the proceedings of the Senate on November 7, 2012. During this sitting, Bill S-214, an Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children), was introduced and received its first reading. The rest of the sitting included Senators' Statements on various topics, Question Period addressing issues such as missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls, and the consideration of various committee reports and other business.
Bill S-214, concerning the protection of children, completed its second reading in the Senate and was referred to a committee.
This artifact details the progression of Bill S-214, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children), through the Senate. It notes that the bill completed its second reading stage on April 23, 2013, and was subsequently referred to a committee for further consideration. The artifact also lists the dates of major speeches delivered during the second reading stage and references similar bills introduced in previous Parliaments.
On November 20, 2012, the Senate held a sitting where Bill S-214 (protection of children) was scheduled for second reading debate, though the provided text focuses on other proceedings and debates of different bills, not the specific content of the debate on Bill S-214.
On November 20, 2012, the Senate engaged in a debate during its second reading of Bill S-214, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children). While the artifact focuses on this debate, it does not contain the full text of the bill. The debate itself is the subject of this summary, not the bill's legislative content. The sitting included other proceedings such as "Senators' Statements" on various topics including congratulations on a royal wedding anniversary and National Child Day, "Routine Proceedings" including notices of motions, and "Question Period" covering a range of government policies. The "Orders of the Day" section shows that Bill S-214 was listed for second reading debate, but the text provided does not detail the substance of the second reading debate for Bill S-214 itself. Instead, the provided text details debates on other bills: Bill S-10 (Prohibiting Cluster Munitions), Bill C-36 (Criminal Code - elder abuse), Bill S-13 (Coastal Fisheries Protection Act), Bill S-210 (Fisheries Act - commercial seal fishing), and Bill C-304 (Canadian Human Rights Act). The primary artifact appears to be a record of the Senate's sitting, not a detailed transcript of the second reading debate for Bill S-214.
This Senate debate on November 20, 2012, featured discussions on National Child Day, tributes, various legislative matters including Bill S-214 concerning the protection of children, and other government and social issues before adjourning several debates.
This record details a Senate debate on November 20, 2012. The debate included several topics: congratulations on a royal wedding anniversary, National Child Day, tributes to a former MP, discussions on diabetes awareness, and the introduction of various bills. Specifically, Bill S-214, an Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children), was introduced and debated at its second reading by Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette, who spoke about repealing section 43 of the Criminal Code related to reasonable physical violence against children. Other bills debated included those concerning cluster munitions, elder abuse, coastal fisheries protection, and human rights. There were also discussions regarding official languages, Coast Guard services, the Parliamentary Budget Officer's requests for information, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The debate concluded with several items being adjourned for further discussion.
During a Senate sitting on February 13, 2013, the debate on Bill S-214, concerning amendments to the Criminal Code for the protection of children, was adjourned at the second reading stage to allow a senator to prepare.
This Senate sitting on February 13, 2013, included various statements, routine proceedings, and orders of the day. Notably, there was a continuation of the debate on Bill S-214, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children), at the second reading stage. Senator A. Raynell Andreychuk agreed to be the critic for this bill and requested that the debate be adjourned to allow time for preparation. Other proceedings included debates on Bill S-211 concerning the Official Languages Act, and an inquiry on French language education in New Brunswick.
On April 23, 2013, the Senate held a sitting that included statements from senators on various topics, presentation of committee reports, question period, and debate on several bills, including Bill S-214, which was moved for second reading and referred to committee.
This record details a sitting of the Senate on April 23, 2013. The sitting included Senators' Statements on various topics, Routine Proceedings where committee reports were presented, Question Period addressing issues like child safety and national security, and Orders of the Day where legislative items were discussed or debated. Specifically, the record shows that Bill S-214, "An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children)", was moved for second reading and then referred to committee. Other bills and inquiries were also discussed, and the Senate adjourned.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Response speech yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced