Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today, both with over 200 signatures.
The petitioners wish to draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following facts: that people who experience depression and mental illness need to be protected by the law; that youth in Canada are just as vulnerable as youth from around the world; and that predators are both encouraging and counselling suicide without penalty, through the Internet, and can do that without fear of prosecution due to the anonymity the Internet can provide and the antiquity of Canadian laws.
Therefore, the petitioners call upon the House to enable prosecution of those who encourage or counsel someone to commit suicide by updating the Criminal Code to reflect the new realities of the 21st century broadband access, as well as fund education programs to empower people who experience depression and mental illness in Canada's vulnerable youth to protect themselves from online predators.