May 6, 2015 – Ottawa, ON – Department of Justice.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Peter MacKay, issued the following statement to mark Belonging: National Day to End Bullying:
“Today, we take this opportunity to recognize the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada for their efforts in standing up against bullying through awareness activities such as the National Day to End Bullying. This important initiative strives to lessen the negative effects of bullying by changing the current dialogue from negative to positive, focusing on building a young person's sense of belonging.
Our Government is taking action to protect our children and youth against bullying – including cyberbullying, bullying that takes place online. Cyberbullying can have devastating, irreversible consequences. With the press of a button on a cell phone or computer, cyberbullying can travel the world. It can provide anonymity to the bully, and, once posted, it can be out in cyberspace forever. This is an issue that has no borders and this broader and lasting impact is reported to have the most serious consequences for victims of cyberbullying. For example, when someone sends an intimate or sexual image without the consent of the person in that image, the consequences can be very serious. We've all seen how cyberbullying has devastated too many young people across the country – affecting their reputations, their self-esteem and their mental health.
That is why our Government introduced legislation that gives police the modernized tools they need to protect Canadians, particularly children and youth, from the more serious acts of cyberbullying. The Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act recently came into force and is now law. This new law prohibits the sharing of an intimate image without the consent of the person in the image.
I encourage Canadians to learn how to recognize cyberbullying and to find out more about the laws aimed at fighting it. We all have the right to feel safe at school, at work, on our phones, or at home surfing the Web. We all have the responsibility to stand up together and put an end to bullying.”
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