Thank you, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee.
I'm pleased to attend this hearing today to give witness and to participate in the finalization of this initiative. I'm grateful to see multi-party political support for this bill. For me, my constituency, and hundreds of thousands of Canadians, Bill C-13 cannot be given royal ascent soon enough.
This is not just about young people, but about all Canadians. Bill C-13 speaks to our core belief that the lives and futures of victims of cyberbullying or electronic criminal activity have value and that we, as Canadians, recognize that value. I don't think anyone on this committee has underestimated the horrific effects of cyberbullying on Canadians, especially on our young people.
I wish we could legislate good parenting skills, but as we all know, that's impossible. l also believe that Bill C-13 is not the end. It's just the beginning. We must continue to educate our young people about the life- changing effects of Internet bullying and intimidation and, of equal importance, the consequences and sanctions for that behaviour. I'm a firm believer that consequence is the first step towards prevention. Bill C-13 is the start and for it to be effective, this initiative must be transparent and predictable and, most importantly, it must be perceived as such by all Canadians. That is why I believe that the enforcement and logistics of the legislation are of equal importance and I'm pleased to see them detailed so thoroughly in this bill.
I have reviewed them in detail and I am convinced that there will be no infringements on our individual rights to privacy. I do not believe that the police or the state are threatening the existence of my freedom, nor do other Canadians. I have no concerns about preservation or production orders, nor do any of the parents of victims that I have spoken to recently. I believe that the outcry surrounding these invasions of our privacy are by those who have not read or have understood the provisions in Bill C-13—or they're just being intellectually dishonest.
One of my great concerns has always been the loss of faith in our justice system, especially by our young people. Loss of trust in the system and a belief that it is unjust threatens confidence in our courts and has dangerous consequences, including the serious under-reporting of this type of criminal activity. I firmly believe that the introduction of Bill C-13 will introduce those marginalized and isolated by cyberbullying, especially our youth, that we care and that we are prepared to protect them and enforce this legislation. Failure to achieve this will simply undermine its effectiveness and decrease our collective ability to minimize the occurrence of this type of devastating criminal activity.
Bullying or cyberbullying is not just about the distribution of intimate images without a person's consent. Victims also report that it's impossible to escape from the electronic dissemination of hate and cyberbullying, which includes threats, spreading of false rumours, retribution and, more importantly, social outcasting. It is impossible by the very public nature of the Internet. Its effects are life changing and often result in lost futures, which affect us all.
After a detailed review, I have three recommendations for this committee to consider. First, and I'm sure it has been considered, but I could not find any reference to the Youth Criminal Justice Act in the administration of Bill C-13. Since the initiative of this legislation is aimed at young people, I suggest that the Youth Criminal Justice Act also be cross-referenced with the appropriate amendments to that legislation regarding enforcement, investigation, and sanctions.
Second, I believe that to achieve success we need ongoing education about the details and consequences of cyberbullying. This must be continually and routinely introduced and re-introduced and understood by all Canadians, especially young people, so they comprehend the harm and, very importantly, the consequences of cyberbullying. All Canadians, especially our young people, need to be reminded that anonymity on the Internet does not exist and that we need to ensure consequences are available, that they are consistent, that they are predictable, and that they are recognized for this behaviour.
In the aftermath of the assault on my son in 1999, and for years afterwards, my family received e-mails containing death threats, and horrifically disgusting and accusatory messages and posts on blogs and social media sites degrading my family and my efforts to support crime victims and legislative changes to try to make Canada a safer place for our children.
To this day, we are still victims of these events and nothing could be done because the posts and e-mails were always anonymous. These portrayers of violent intent always remained anonymous and their courage to accuse and defame was housed and strengthened by that anonymity.
l have spoken to many children and families who are victims of similar cowardly anonymous attacks via the Internet and the results are always the same. Threats and the spreading false information, rumours, and accusations electronically are more devastating and crippling to the victim than if made in person, just by the very public nature of the Internet. It is no longer one-on-one; it's there for the world to view.
Therefore, I have a third recommendation, which is hopefully again just housekeeping, but I believe is necessary for clarity and, more important, for greater certainty.
Bill C-13, as noted in paragraph 18, refers to sections 371 and 372 of the Canadian Criminal Code, which are offences against the rights of property. This should be expanded to ensure that other offences that contain language related to outdated technologies, such as the telephone and telegraph, be updated as well. With these proposed amendments, these same acts would be punishable when committed using e-mail, text messaging, blogs, or any means of telecommunications and, most important, would allow authorities the same procedural and investigative tools.
These sections include the following: sexual offences; public morals; disorderly conduct, section 181 of the Criminal Code; and offences against the person and reputation, sections 264 and 265 of the Criminal Code.
Cyberbullying or electronically distributed or perpetrated criminal activity exists because it originates from anonymous, malicious individuals, whose identity is very difficult, if not impossible, to track. The reason it exists is because perpetrators believe they are faceless and can never be held accountable and hopefully this will change.
We will never stop electronic crime or cyberbullying, but I believe that this initiative and subsequent education will create awareness of the effects of online crime and alert our young people about its devastating affects on their peers.
I also hope that it will impose serious consequences and sanctions on those who use the anonymity of the Internet to intimidate and bully.
Thank you very much for your time.