Canadian families are the backbone of our country. Teaching and developing the next generation to become contributors to society and raising our future leaders takes place within the context of the family. Our government, however, does not support our families; in fact, they take advantage of what should be deemed our most valuable resource.

Under the current tax rules, two working parents earning $35,000 each per year can claim up to $14,500 in child care deductions (based on two children). Those same deductions are not available to a family of four with one income earner who makes the same amount.

Seventy percent of women said they would "stay at home" if they had the choice. Yet, it is obvious that those parents who choose to have one person stay at home are at a disadvantage compared to a family that decides to have both parents working and place their child in daycare. Both situations should be treated equally. There is no reason for the government to penalize parents who decide to raise their children at home.

When legislation is developed, the needs of the family must be taken into consideration. Currently the government does not consider the effect a Bill will have on the family. We need a Family Impact Assessment Bill that would require all legislation to be evaluated in this light. Family taxation levels, family safety, family stability and parental rights and responsibilities would be required considerations for this type of Bill. This kind of assessment would tell us whether the legislation is positive, negative or neutral in its impact upon Canadian families.

In fighting for the rights of families, I have also introduced a Motion called the Declaration of Parental Rights and Responsibilities. The purpose of this Motion is to reassure Canadian families that the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child will not undermine the rights and responsibilities of parents. One area of particular concern is the attempt by some groups to remove Section 43 from the Criminal Code of Canada.

Section 43 currently allows parents to use reasonable force in disciplining their children. Some groups are trying to remove Section 43, and are even being funded by our tax dollars in their efforts to do so. It could become a crime for parents to spank their own children if Section 43 were done away with.

Already we have cases of good, caring parents being taken to court for what some say is abuse, but is, in fact, a completely reasonable measure to correct a child’s behavior. In one instance, a father spanked his five-year-old son because he would not stop kicking the family cat. That spanking left a very slight mark on his son’s buttock which was noticed at swimming class. The instructor reported it to her supervisor, who in turn reported it to the Children’s Aid Society. The police then came to the father’s place of work, arrested him, handcuffed him in front of his co-workers, put him in jail for two days and charged him with assault.

The father then had to go to court seven times and incurred legal costs totaling $10,000. The judge quite correctly dismissed the charges under Section 43 of the Criminal Code that protects the fundamental parental right to use reasonable measures to correct their children’s behavior.

The police and the Crown prosecutors are abusing their positions. The government needs to be reminded that persecution of good parents by the state bureaucracy is not in the best interests of the child. Our children need to be protected from overzealous bureaucrats.

My fight for the rights of Canadian families will continue. If the family is weakened, our society is weakened.

If you have any comments or concerns about this or any other issue, please feel free to contact my constituency office at 1-800-667-6606.

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