Tory MP To Table National Anti-Bullying Day Petition
Updated Sun. Jan. 25 2009 6:10 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
At the urging of thousands of New Brunswickers, Conservative MP Mike Allen is planning to table a petition that would declare a national day to recognize anti-bullying efforts across the country.
More than 5,0a00 people have signed the petition to declare Dec. 17 "Blue Day," a national day for bullying awareness.
The "Blue Day" petition is the brainchild of 19-year-old New Brunswick resident Robert Frenette, who started an anti-bullying website after being bullied himself.
"I was bullied in all forms, cyber, physical, verbal, but the turning point for me was when I was burned on the back of my neck by two female students on the way to school in the ninth grade," he told CTV Atlantic.
Frenette founded bullyingcanada.ca afterwards and began lobbying politicians, school administrations and local businesses to help create a nationally recognized anti-bullying day.
"Basically, we are asking the House of Commons to take a stand," Frenette said.
Already, there are 66 schools participating in "Blue Day."
Allen, the MP for Tobique-Mactaquac, hopes to table the petition on Wednesday before the House's first confidence vote to speed along the process.
"This will transcend the budget. The budget is important to Canadians . . . But when it comes to things that affect people in their everyday lives this will also be important," Allen said.
With a report from CTV Atlantic's Erin O'Halloran
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