Should parents be allowed to bring young children to work?

NDP MP Sana Hassainia answers questions while holding her three-month-old son. (CBC)A vote in the House of Commons was interrupted Tuesday when an MP's three-month-old son took center stage instead.

NDP MP Sana Hassainia said she was called back quickly to a vote in the House Tuesday and had to bring her baby boy along.

Speaker Andrew Scheer noticed several MPs snapping pictures of Hassainia and her son, as the vote clock hit zero.

A page came up to her and said the Speaker wanted her to remove the baby from the chamber, she said.

"The rules are that no strangers are allowed in," Hassainia told CBC News. "So certainly, yes, my baby is a stranger. But, it's not like he was a threat to national security."

The story attracted more than 500 comments by Wednesday afternoon. Some criticized Hassainia, suggesting she pay for a babysitter or other childcare while working on the Hill.

• "So, I am supportive of babies, parenting, public breast-feeding etc. etc. But there's a limit. I'm sorry that she couldn't locate her husband but I think it's reasonable to say that some places are not for children." - eighteen
• "Seems like a ludicrous complaint to me. In the real world, working mothers send their children to daycare." - Razor97
• "As an MP, one would think that she (and her husband) could afford childcare like the rest of families (and single mothers) in Canada. Besides, subsidized daycare in Quebec is quite cheap!" - Last Call
• "There [are] enough babies in the House as it is." - Johnny2Much

But others were sympathetic, pointing out the last-minute nature of the vote and the young age of Hassania's son, who she is still breastfeeding.

• "Hard to get a baby sitter at a minute's notice - something all parents know all too well." - Durandal
• "I think that people might be blowing this a little out of proportion. It's not as if she plans on bringing her baby in to the House of Commons on a regular basis. Sounds like a one-time thing to me, I think maybe we should cut her some slack, give her the benefit of the doubt etc. etc." - truth2000
• "She had her husband with her. She got called back quickly and unexpectedly... so she took her baby with her. Should she have left the baby in the hall? Or perhaps not bothered to go in and do her job?" - ry2010
• "Ideally, MPs who are also moms (and dads too!) should have access to an area for feedings and a designated 'emergency' place to leave a child while such votes take place - that shouldn't take more than what, 10 - 15 minutes...The page who was handed the baby must have been a bit surprised - is this in the job description? :-)" - MBrunswick

This is neither the first time, nor the first place that babies in the workforce, or in public spaces, have become the center of debate. MPs have brought babies into the House before.

In June, Malaysia Airlines banned children less than 2 years old from first class cabins - parents would be sent either to business or economy class instead. The airline's CEO said on Twitter that it was to appease passengers who "can't sleep due to crying infants."

Last July, McDain's Restaurant and Golf Center in Monroeville, Penn. banned children under the age of six.

Should parents be allowed to bring young children to work? What about other public spaces such as a restaurant or an airplane? Take our poll, and then let us know what you think in the comments section below.


(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)