Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge that this week is Anti-Bullying Week. Anti-Bullying Week was started by Bill Belsey, a teacher in Alberta. We thank Bill for his advocacy and all teachers for doing their part to make our schools inclusive and safe places for all children to learn and thrive.
One in three Canadian kids reports being bullied. In a study looking at 35 countries, Canada had the ninth-worst rate of bullying among 13-year-olds.
Among adults in the workplace, the numbers are remarkably similar.
We are not doing enough, and government inaction on a national bullying prevention strategy only exacerbates the situation. We cannot be bystanders. As adults and parliamentarians, we owe our youth more and we owe each other more.
We as parliamentarians are not exempt. We too must examine our behaviour and pledge again this week, and all weeks, our continued commitment to do better, to be better, and to expect better.