Today marks Pink Shirt Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness for anti-bullying initiatives, but this year, there’s some controversy surrounding the day.
The initiative began when a group of friends in Nova Scotia wore pink shirts in solidarity with a fellow student who was being bullied for wearing one.
However, Peace River North MLA, Jordan Kealy, sent a message of his own, criticizing Pink Shirt Day. In a video posted to social media, he said wearing a pink shirt does little to solve the problem of bullying and went on to say people should not be bullied into wearing pink shirts.
“I’ve got nothing against pink shirts, red shirts, blue shirts. People should feel free to wear whatever they want,” said the MLA, after describing his own experience of being bullied growing up in a family who “didn’t have a lot of money” and wearing second-hand clothes.
“Victims of bullying should not be persecuted. This is one of the things that we need to change that a shirt doesn’t solve,” said Kealy.
The comments come a day after the BC NDP launched a social media campaign slamming Kealy and five other Opposition MLAs for voting down a motion that condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada.
It didn’t stop schools from across the Peace Region from participating this year, including Pouce Coupe Elementary School, where a design contest was held this month. Mayor Danielle Veach met with students today and tried on the winning design, thanking staff for inspiring students through creativity.
Speaking with CJDC-TV, Veach said that there were nearly 100 submissions from students, who created quotes and discussed the impact of bullying and how it has evolved over the years.
Among the messages that stood out was from grade five student Madison, who designed a shirt that read “Be kind. Words can hurt or words can help. Speak up. Bullying isn’t cool.”
Veach highlighting that standing up to bullying isn’t just a once-a-year effort and involves not being a bystander.
“People are facing bullying 24 hours a day because they’re so accessible now with Facebook and social media,” Veach said.
According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, 71% of youth aged 12 to 17 reported experiencing at least one form of bullying the year prior, with one in four reporting being cyberbullied.
“Going out there this morning was not only to recognize Pink Shirt Day and the impact of that, but to really recognize the creative freedom that the staff at the Pouce Coupe school were actually giving these kids to really take charge of their own anti-bullying message, ” said Veach.
Northern Lights College also took to social media to encourage students to take a moment to check in with family, friends, and co-workers to spread kindness and uplift one another.
While Premier David Eby released a statement on the 18th anniversary of the day, emphasizing that bullying has no place in schools, on the streets, or at home.
“Our government is committed to making sure that every student in every community in B.C. feels safe and supported – at school and at home," said Eby.
Since 2008, the Pink Shirt Day organization has raised over $3 million for youth anti-bullying programs.
Last year, people in nearly 180 countries celebrated Pink Shirt Day.