Mr. Speaker, today, children, youth and families from across Canada are joining us on Parliament Hill. They are here with Children First Canada, a national charity headquartered in Calgary Signal Hill. They are calling on the government to table comprehensive legislation to ensure that kids are safe online. Among the youth here today are 12‑year‑old Zachary and 11‑year‑old twins Zahra and Leena. They were eight years old and seven years old respectively when the government pledged to put in place online safety legislation.
Where are we today? We are seeing a rapidly changing digital landscape where social media, gaming platforms and now artificial intelligence are shaping children's lives in ways that can easily be harmful. In 2019, one in four children aged 12 to 17 reported being cyber-bullied. By age 25, one in five Canadians is diagnosed with a mental illness.
We must do more to secure childhood for Canada's children. I urge the Liberals to stop the delay, break the pattern—