Craig Wilson takes some comfort in the creation of anti-bullying legislation formed in the wake of his 11-year-old son’s suicide.

Mitchell Wilson, a Pickering student with muscular dystrophy, took his own life last September so he wouldn’t have to face the bullies that mugged him. The boy with the million dollar smile died on his first day of Grade 6.

“There is some tribute to here, I guess. It’s a shame all these children had to take their own lives in order for this to come about,” Wilson told the Star on Tuesday.

The historic Liberal legislation passed with New Democratic support. The vote was 65 to 36.

However, the entire Progressive Conservative caucus voted as a block in opposition to the bill that will allow for gay-straight alliances to be formed in all public and Catholic schools.

“The reason the Conservatives are apparently not going to support this bill has nothing to do with accountability and everything to do with the fact that we’re going to be talking about gay-straight alliances in Ontario high schools,” Premier Dalton McGuinty said.

The anti-bullying bill came about after the suicide deaths of Wilson and Ottawa’s Jamie Hubley, a 15-year-old gay teen who was bullied at school.

From the outset, the PCs have said they would not support Bill 13. That is because former PC MPP Elizabeth Witmer spent years working on her own legislation, Bill 14, that the Tories say had tougher accountability measures.

Both bills were supposed to be combined into one but the Conservatives say that never happened.

Instead, the PCs accuse McGuinty of trying to force them into a wedge for their own political purposes, said PC MPP Christine Elliott.

“They are trying to make us appear to be homophobic and that is the farthest thing from the case. We want to make sure every child is safe in the province of Ontario. Kids that have disabilities, kids that are fat, thin, freckled, all children,” said Elliott.

NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo said there are a few important amendments to Bill 13 thanks to PC suggestions.

“Because of Bill 14 there is a better definition of bullying,” she said. “Also there is a look at cyber-bullying — these are all aspects of Bill 14 going into Bill 13.”

Wilson is trying not to think of the political infighting: “This is a long time coming. If this prevents anything like this from happening to any other kid again then we are going in the right direction. And at least it is now law. We can always make amendments.”

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Parents of different political stripes and faiths all want their kids to be respected and accepted, said McGuinty.

“We’re trying to give expression to a fundamental tenet of our society, give expression to a basic value for respecting all of us for who we are.”

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