Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to rise here in support of anti-bullying day. In preparing for this day, I did find myself reflecting on the work of this Assembly and asking, did we actually put a dent in bullying? Before I respond to this question, I did find myself going full circle in trying to grasp leadership on this subject.
I, like many in this room, voted in the fall of 2013 suggesting changes to Bill 12, which is the legislation, An Act to Amend the Education Act, thus making our schools safer by instilling a stronger Safe Schools Policy.
Like anything, we are politicians, not magicians. One has to truly wonder if this legislation had an impact, and without any formal survey of our education system since its inception, we are guessing at best. Moreover, aside from what we can legislate between the hours of nine and four on school days, I can assure you that with the modernization of communication technology and the continued misuse of new social media we are destined to have an uphill battle and war on bullying. That’s a given.
I live in the real world, so until such time that all children understand the hidden perils on the Internet, we will never combat bullying. Until such time as Internet trolls continue to hide in the shadows unpunished, we will never combat bullying. Until such time so-called “avatar armchair critics” continue to feel first amendment rights give them the freedom to twist our cornerstone of democracy, we’ll never combat bullying.
I said I’d respond to my earlier question, have we put a dent in bullying? Like I said earlier, I have gone full circle on this subject. I am proud of what we accomplish in this Assembly, but fear we have fallen short of really guaranteeing a bully-free environment many had set out to do at the beginning.
Legislation cannot work in isolation. It requires awareness, which I think we have done and will continue to do.
However, until we have the power to enforce what is right, to punish those who inflict wrong, and to turn misuse of power into fear and remorse, we will fail on this delivery. All we can do now is wait until the right legislative trade winds draft a better Criminal Code of Canada that catches up with the reality of ever-changing technology and its misuse. And this, Mr. Speaker, may never happen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn’t want to talk too long so I just wrote three lines in my Member’s statement here.
---Laughter
Thank you, gracious colleagues.
This being anti-bullying day, I say to those who are bullying, “Quit it, and have a Snickers bar because it’s not you.”
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
