Status of Women committee  I'd just like to say that as Rehtaeh was going into junior high, I was very well aware of what I needed to teach her as a female to be safe. I went in knowing that she had to know certain things, to be cautious and careful, and to never be alone. I felt that she had her head on straight and she was very cautious herself, so I felt like, “ I'm good”.

Status of Women committee  No, I don't.

Status of Women committee  Depending on the police officer who they report to, the response is going to be different, so there's the problem right there: it depends on the police officer. Each police officer, if you're going to deal with, for example, an intimate image, is going to have to have some training in how to respond to that.

Status of Women committee  My background is in psychology, so I felt I was equipped to try to find my way through the waters to get her help. I was so wrong. There are many silos, and they don't talk to each other. Not only did Rehtaeh have to tell her story constantly everywhere we went but we didn't get support.

Status of Women committee  I will definitely update you.

Status of Women committee  That's for sure.

Status of Women committee  I would say take it out of the bedroom. Don't let them go to bed with their devices. If you start that at a young enough age, it becomes something that they just get used to. A lot of parents are just leaving their devices in the room. Not only is that sleep deprivation for the kid because they're addicted to these devices but it just sets up really negative patterns.

Status of Women committee  I don't feel that work has been done yet. They may be working towards it. I will have a meeting with justice minister Diana Whalen in a couple of weeks, so I will be getting an update on that. There's a lot to do.

Status of Women committee  It hasn't yet. That's why I have the appointment. I'm going to get an update. I'll know more once I meet with her. I know that she is working on putting together the new cyber-safety act. I know that they hope to introduce a new one in 2017.

Status of Women committee  I agree. Again, it comes down to pockets. Some schools put a lot of emphasis on it. They carry it out not just on one day or one week but throughout the school year. They keep coming back to it, but it doesn't seem to be uniform. Again, putting the emphasis on it and making it mandatory are really important, and this is an issue around the world.

Status of Women committee  I feel that you do have to start younger, because they know a lot more than we think they do and they do have access to so much at a younger age. I was asked to speak at a school once for grade 5 and 6, whereas it's usually junior high and high school that I go to. At first I was a little hesitant but, when I went in there and asked them how many had cell phones, 85% of their hands went up, and that was grade 5.

Status of Women committee  I get a lot of messages from people who are reaching out for help, who say that their image is out there and that they went to the police. Just recently in Nova Scotia, not even two weeks ago, a young lady's intimate images were online and the police did not know about the bill, and they told her there was nothing they could do to help her because she shared the image in the first place with somebody.

Status of Women committee  Obviously, I would say have lots of conversations with your children about what it means to be responsible when using the Internet, and with that comes stages of responsibility. A lot of parents just give their kid a phone and then they have access to everything. Instead of doing that, start off with very limited access and then talk about being a responsible digital citizen, and continue those conversations and check.

Status of Women committee  Thank you for inviting me to speak here today on a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. My name is Leah Parsons. I am the mother of Rehtaeh Parsons. Rehtaeh died by suicide 17 months after her sexual assault. Rehtaeh was assaulted by four males in November 2011. A photo was taken and shared without her permission or knowledge.