New Anti-Bullying Initiative

Honourable Dalton McGuinty, M.P.P.Premier of Ontario
Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario

Dear Premier,

The plan announced on November 16 by Ontario’s Minister of Education, the Honourable Gerard Kennedy, to fight bullying in schools is a positive, progressive step.

If a school is rife with bullying, it doesn't feel safe. Bullying poisons the social environment for everyone, has long-term consequences for the bully and the victim, and is a factor in suicides and violent incidents. For this reason, the Canada Safety Council supports your government's efforts to address this very serious problem.

Bullying affects the whole community, not just the bully and the victim. Peers are more important than they realize. They can be part of the audience, support the destructive behavior, or intervene in a positive way, perhaps by reporting the situation.

As they grow up, playground bullies may transfer their abuse of power to other forms of harassment, violence, or abuse, and they may become workplace bullies. Boys who were bullies in elementary school are more likely to have criminal convictions by the time they are in their 20s. This is not surprising, when you consider that many bullying activities are offenses under the Criminal Code.

Victims, on the other hand, typically suffer withdrawal and anxiety. Their school performance may drop and they may try to avoid going to school. In rare cases they lash out in revenge, endangering the entire school, occasionally resulting in very tragic incidents.

The Canada Safety Council has worked with various organizations, including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, to address this issue. We would be pleased to assist your government as appropriate.

Sincerely,

Emile Therien
President, Canada Safety Council