Minister of National Defence video message for Pink Shirt Day 2021
Video / February 24, 2021
Transcript
In 2007, when Travis Price and David Shepherd mobilized their school to wear pink in solidarity with a ninth grader who was being bullied…
They never imagined their stand would become a global movement.
They just wanted to stop a kid from being victimized.
Today, Pink Shirt Day is observed all across Canada on the last Wednesday in February...
And roughly 180 countries have designated their own Anti-Bullying Day.
It’s alarming to learn that in the same year that Pink Shirt Day was born, over 70% of 13 to 15 years olds reported being bullied online.
And it’s not just a youth problem.
In 2019, nearly 15% of federal public servants reported that they had experienced some form of harassment on the job.
That means thousands of people were demeaned. Belittled.
Made to feel unsafe and unwelcome.
This is simply unacceptable.
But just like Travis and David did … together, we can stand against injustice.
The Defence team is determined to build a safe and respectful work environment for all.
That’s why we’ve added new mandatory training for employees and managers to prevent workplace aggression…
And it’s why we’ve taken decisive action to prevent all forms of hateful and harmful conduct across the organization.
I know our leaders will not rest until we eliminate racism, discrimination, and hateful conduct from the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence.
Because everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
And because taking care of each other is what Canadians do.