Spanking - What do you think?

In a recent article in the Globe & Mail, Diane Flacks refers to a poll commissioned by that newspaper to find out what people think of corporal punishment (i.e. spanking). Presently there is legislation or a proposal for such a law before the Canadian Parliament asking that corporal punishment be added to the list of offences in the criminal code. (There is also some reference to bullying in this proposal.)

This may be seen as a difficult question because some people may argue that there are some extenuating circumstances where the last resort may be a spanking. Usually, I have seen that the extenuating circumstances are a frustrated parent at his/her wit's end and not finding a workable solution.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

By the way, if you didn't read the article by Diane Flacks, 42% of the respondents felt spanking was okay.