February 25th was Pink Shirt Day.
Pink Shirt Day brings awareness to the important fight against bullying in this country.
The many pink shirts worn on this day remind all of us that we must remain intolerant to bullying.
As parliamentarians, we have a duty to ensure that everyone can feel safe.
But bullying is everywhere, it affects both young and old.
This is a widespread problem in Canada, where many people are victims to it.
In 2012, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights issued a report on cyberbullying, making several recommendations to the government on ways to tackle this problem.
Unfortunately, to date, the government has largely ignored the recommendations.
Yesterday during question period, I took advantage of Pink Shirt Day to ask the Leader of the Government in the Senate to update the Senate on the work done by the government to deal with this problem.
His response was rather disappointing, apart from awareness campaigns and the exchange of money, little has been done to protect our peers.
See: Question Period – February 25 2015 Prevention of Cyberbullying
This is why Pink Shirt Day becomes important.
This is a serious problem that should not be taken lightly.
It is important to remind the government that many Canadians are suffering. Much more needs to be done to help and support those who are victims of bullying.
I strongly encourage all of you to visit http://pinkshirtday.ca to learn more about this important cause.