New anti-cyberbullying law promised for this fall

Justice Minister Mark Furey says new cyberbullying legislation will be introduced when Province House resumes sitting in September.

The move comes in the wake of three suicides by students in Cape Breton, at least one of which was attributed in part to cyberbullying. Another student made news Wednesday when his grandmother spoke out about months of relentless harassment her grandson has faced.

Replacing Cyber-Safety Act

The new bill is almost two years in the making and is intended to replace a bill the former NDP government passed, which the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia struck down in 2015 because it infringed on people's rights.

That bill, the Cyber-Safety Act, was originally drafted after the death of Rehtaeh Parsons.

• Court strikes down anti-cyberbullying law created after Rehtaeh Parsons's death
• Rehtaeh Parsons's mother hopes new anti-cyberbullying law will be drafted

But beyond the new legislation, Premier Stephen McNeil said he thinks there needs to be a broader public conversation about how people interact online.

Kids can't escape it

The premier said he believes some of the things people say to each other online would never be allowed to pass in the home or workplace.

"I can't image how some of these young kids, who are exposed to that as well, would be feeling," he told reporters in Halifax following a cabinet meeting.

"It's bad enough when you're an adult and you have structure and you know how to deal with some of these things."

Times have changed

The issue has become so pervasive it's difficult for young people to escape, said McNeil.

"I'm 52. And when I was young you could go home and you left a lot of that stuff behind. These kids don't have that luxury. And I'm going to tell you, some of the adult conversations online aren't necessarily a good example."