Ottawa, ON — Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for International Development, Karen Vecchio, Conservative Shadow Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, and Dominique Vien, Conservative Associate Shadow Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth issued the following statement on the Conservative motion to promote Bystander Awareness and Training as a tool to combat violence:

“Bystander Awareness and Training is a critical and often under-explored tool for combating sexual violence, hate crimes, and other forms of violence. That is why Conservatives have put forward M-57.

“Canada needs a dramatic expansion of bystander intervention awareness and training so that more people feel ready and know when and how to intervene in instances of violence that may unfold around them.

“This motion calls on the federal government to (1) support the development and deployment of bystander training courses, (2) make bystander training available to public servants, and (3) promote bystander training to all Canadians.

“The end goal is that we have communities where potential perpetrators of sexual violence, hate crimes, and other forms of violence are substantially less likely to hurt others because they know that other members of the community stand ready to intervene in an effective way.

“Expanding bystander awareness and training is critical for reducing violence in our communities.”