The Conservative government has introduced legislation that would make it illegal to distribute "intimate images" without consent and to make it easier to take such images off the Internet.
The legislation aims to crack down on cyber criminals.
Justice Minister Peter MacKay and Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney announced the bill after question period Wednesday.
If passed, the legislation would also empower courts to seize computers, cellphones and other devices used in the offence and provide for reimbursement of costs related to removing the images from the Internet.
MacKay says Canadians have been touched by the deaths of a number of teens tormented by online bullies, including Rehtaeh Parsons, Amanda Todd and Todd Loik.
"Cyber bullying can distrupt entire familes. Some move away to avoid the intimdation, or they experience the ultimate devastation of losing a child, who could no longer cope," MacKay says.
The Thames Valley District school board is applauding the legislation.
"The fact that the legislation is now part of the criminal code is very important to us because it reinforces the seriousness of this type of behavior," says Toni Wilson, the board's safe schools learning coordinator.
The new law is expected to make it easier for police to investigate allegations of cyber-bullying. But some say it does much more, by drawing awareness to the issue and helping victims come forward.
WIth files from The Canadian Press
