Mr. Speaker, if it wasn't apparent from the boutonnieres and pink shirts, today we recognize Pink Shirt Day, a student-led initiative to confront bullying that has grown into a nationally recognized day of action. This year's theme, Sprinkling Kindness, reminds us that who better to lead the call for inclusion and compassion than our children.

Kids are not born prejudiced, yet they are quickly tasked with navigating society's unfair biases, learning to balance their own uniqueness with a world that often decides, unfairly, who deserves kindness and who does not. When our kids are different and they cannot understand why being themselves should be considered wrong and why they may face rejection, rejection that becomes so much worse with bullying is when bullying and exclusion become inescapable that victims often turn inwards causing them to reject themselves. This silent, internalized harm can deeply affect mental well-being.

Despite the best efforts of parents, teachers and caregivers, in many ways exclusion is getting worse. Social media is not just amplifying bullying and bigotry but more subtle and perhaps more powerful forms of exclusion. Our youth are bombarded with negative stereotypes, hyperfixations, extreme beauty standards, risky lifestyles, and ideas of self-harm and suicide. Even AIs are being prompted by young people in crisis to contemplate the most horrific scenarios with seemingly no oversight from these companies that provide these tools to young people.

These pressures can drive anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal, creating cycles of negativity that intensify personal pain. While all youths are affected, young men face particular vulnerabilities. For generations, they have been taught that strength means silence and that showing emotion or seeking help is weakness.

The consequences are clear. Men are far less likely to access mental health services. A recent national survey found that 67 percent of men have never sought support, even as rates of stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and severe mental illness continues to climb. That is why on this Pink Shirt Day not only do we need to stand against bullying but also stand for critical mental health services for youth and positive, nurturing, and healthy role models for young men as complex and severe mental illness rise among our youth. Together, we can stop bullying and build safer, inclusive communities for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.