OTTAWA, April 24, 2013 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, made the following statement after meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts today in Ottawa:
“This week is National Victims of Crime Awareness Week and in light of that, I invited my provincial and territorial counterparts to Ottawa to discuss how we can best respond to victims of crime. Given recent events in Nova Scotia, I have added the issue of cyberbullying to the agenda.
“Yesterday, Prime Minister Harper led a meeting with the Parsons family, Minister Peter MacKay and me. Our hearts go out to the Parsons family as they cope with the tragic loss of their teenage daughter.
“The Prime Minister has been clear. There is a point where bullying goes beyond youth misbehaving and becomes criminal activity. While I cannot comment on specific cases, I can say that we need to put a stop to cyberbullying.
“Following the tragic suicide of Amanda Todd last October, federal, provincial and territorial ministers of justice and public safety directed senior officials to identify potential gaps in the Criminal Code with regards to cyberbullying and the non-consensual distribution of images.
“Today, when I met with my counterparts, I recommended that we expedite the review of our laws by June and I was pleased to receive unanimous support. I look forward to receiving this report. Canadians and our Government want action to ensure our children are safe from online exploitation.”
