(FREDERICTON, NB) - Green Party Leader and Fredericton South MLA David Coon encourages citizens throughout the province to recognize Pink Shirt Day, Feb. 25, as a day designed to highlight the dangers of bullying and the importance of creating a society in which it will not be tolerated.

Mr. Coon invites all New Brunswickers to participate in the promotion of activities related to Pink Shirt Day.

"By answering this call we join a groundswell effort around the world to stop bullying in all its forms and all its locations," Coon said. "By wearing a pink shirt on Feb. 25, we become part of a much needed conversation about a serious issue."

The Green Party Leader said Pink Shirt Day is not only an anti-bullying story, but a story of what can be accomplished when a group of young people take a stand. The pink shirt story started in 2007 when two Nova Scotia teenagers refused to stay silent when a fellow student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. They rallied their friends to wear pink to school the next day as a show of support. Their story spread and the pink shirt became synonymous with the eradication of bullying.

The Green Party Leader said he will wear a pink shirt on Wednesday and encourages all New Brunswickers to do the same.

"We are the voice for those who have been and still are silenced by this crime," Mr. Coon said. "With the simple act of wearing a pink shirt we support consciousness raising around the serious impact bullying has on all those involved," he added.

The MLA for Fredericton South urges the provincial government to continue to fund and support programs that raise awareness about the dangers of bullying and that encourage students throughout the province to stand up against the unfair treatment of their peers.

-30-