OTTAWA, Ont. – A New Democrat MP is trying to solve Canada’s bullying problems through a motion he has tabled in the House of Commons, calling for a national prevention strategy.

“The sad reality is that every seven seconds, a kid in Canada is being bullied,” said Quebec MP Dany Morin. “Since I became an MP a year ago, unfortunately at least five kids committed suicide due to bullying.”

Morin’s motion calls for the creation of a committee to focus on the root causes of the problem and study the best ways to prevent it.

Morin said bullying doesn’t take place only at school and in the schoolyard, but can also occur near the students’ homes and over the phone. It includes physical, verbal indirect and cyber-bullying.

The MP hopes that preventing bullying at a young age can stop this type of behaviour later in life, and will prevent further emotional damage for both the victims and the bullies.

While he said that some Conservative cabinet ministers have already sided with him, the motion won’t be dealt with until the fall.