Nova Scotia will begin its fall session today with a speech from the throne that’s expected to include plans on how it will roll out new cyberbullying legislation.
Premier Stephen McNeil is signalling his government will move cautiously on the legislation as it prepares its agenda for the legislative sitting.
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McNeil says the government wants to gather public feedback through law amendments committee hearings, adding that the bill’s passage could “potentially” be put off past the fall session.
The previous Cyber-Safety-Act was the first of its kind in Canada, but was struck down in late 2015 after the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled that it infringed on Charter rights.
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The law was passed by the NDP under former premier Darrell Dexter as part of the response to the death of 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons, a Halifax-area girl who was bullied and died following a suicide attempt.
McNeil’s Liberal government is under added pressure to produce something following a series of three student suicides earlier this year in Cape Breton.
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