TRURO, Nova Scotia, August, 21, 2012 — Today, the Honourable Vic Toews, Canada's Public Safety Minister, and Scott Armstrong, MP for Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley, met with stakeholders to discuss the Harper government's efforts to combat bullying among youth.
“Bullying is a serious concern for many Canadian families and communities,” said Minister Toews. “Our government has taken strong action to help fight bullying by supporting crime prevention programs for at-risk children and youth. We will continue to work to keep Canadian streets and communities safe and secure.”
“Bullying among youth is an issue that cannot be taken lightly, but for residents of Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley its impact hits particularly close to home. I am pleased to see the work that is being done in Nova Scotia to prevent crime, fight bullying and ensure that youth at risk are given the opportunity to make smart life choices,” said MP Armstrong.
The Harper government, through Public Safety's National Crime Prevention Centre, has developed resources on evidence-based programs to address bullying. In addition, the RCMP actively reaches out to communities to provide information on bullying-related issues, such as through the WITS (Walk Away, Ignore, Talk it out, Seek Help) pilot program, which is active in Nova Scotia and five other provinces. The RCMP also operates DEAL.org, a by youth, for youth web-based program that offers resources on issues such as bullying and cyberbullying.
Today's roundtable will help the Government continue to move forward in its goal of keeping Canadians safe.
For more information on DEAL.org, please visit the website: http://www.deal.org/
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Information:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
Julie Carmichael
A/ Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Public Safety
613-991-2865
