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Youth Criminal Justice Act 'ineffective': Breitkreuz

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A Saskatchewan Conservative MP says the Youth Criminal Justice Act must be strengthened in order to curb the growing problem of bullying amongst young people. "Many parents come to me and are powerless to do anything about it and the schools don't seem to have the tools necessary to deal with it," said Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville.

He is planning to introduce a bill in the House of Commons in late fall, which is expected to address the problem of bullying through amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Breitkreuz believes the act is "ineffective" when it comes to cases involving bullying because young offenders are often handled too softly, resulting in repeat offenses. "The repercussions have to be more quick in coming and the courts should have to regard some of these things very seriously because they are so harmful to the kids being bullied," said Breitkreuz.

Earlier this week, the MP read a letter in the House of Commons from Carol Sleeva from Canora. Sleeva's 16-year-old son Travis committed suicide in December after being harassed for months by a group of high school students. "The Youth Justice Act has obviously not been a deterrent for young offenders; in fact it is a joke to them," Sleeva wrote in the letter. "Our children need to be able to go to school and out in the community feeling safe and free from harassment from those who choose to be bullies in our society." .

Breitkreuz called Travis' death a "wake-up call" for politicians to deal with this serious problem. "The situation in Canora was such that those who had been hauled before the courts, they weren't firmly dealt with. It takes so long and it takes so many offenses before they are firmly dealt with. That's part of the real frustration that parents and the RCMP in Canora experienced. That's one of the things that could be done."

The way to approach ending bullying in society is not with one single strategy, said Breitkreuz. He is looking at ways to provide more support for schools, as well as examining methods for possibly making the parents of young offenders more accountable for the youth's actions.

The MP is currently researching the issue through consultations with experts. He welcomes comments or suggestions from the public.