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Watch: Interview with Glen Canning, the father of Rehtaeh Parsons

HALIFAX – The father of Rehtaeh Parsons said he is angry that two men arrested in connection with his daughter’s case were not charged with sexual assault.

Glen Canning told Global News Thursday that he was cautiously optimistic after hearing about the arrests.

But on Friday, he had a different tone.

“It wasn’t what we were hoping for,” Canning said. “It leaves a lot of questions open for me and Rehtaeh’s mom and her family,” he said. “To be honest with you, I’m angry. I’m angry right now.

Parsons parents took her off life support in April, days after she attempted suicide.

Her family said she was the victim of extensive bullying and cyberbullying following an alleged sexual assault a year and a half earlier.

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Read more: First-in-Canada law allows N.S. cyberbullying victims to sue, seek protection

On Thursday night, RCMP announced that two 18-year-old men, arrested Thursday morning, were charged with distributing child pornography. One of the men also faces a charge of making child pornography.

They cannot be named since they were minors at the time.

Read more: Double-edged sword: who the new cyberbullying law will help and hurt

“We were hoping there would be some kind of assault charges laid for what happened to our daughter,” Canning said. “I believe in my heart there is evidence there.”

In a news conference Thursday night, RCMP said that there is not enough evidence to pursue charges of sexual assault.

EXTENDED: Halifax police hold press conference on charges in Rehtaeh Parsons case

But Canning said Mounties should have collected evidence that circulated online and on cell phones after the alleged assault was first reported.

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Instead, he says they failed to do their job properly.

“Police all along said it was ‘he said, she said’. I believe that reason they came to that conclusion is because they did not go after what ‘he said’ enough,” Canning said.

“I think that if police went in there and treated it as a serious sexual assault at the start and went after people Rehtaeh had accused of assaulting her, got them to make statements, took them aside, got the cell phones off of them…If they got all that info and they got all that information before the Crown attorney, I think they would have laid sexual assault charges a year and a half ago, I really do believe that.”

Canning has now resigned himself to the fact now that sexual assault charges may never be laid in the case.

“I think that it’s concluded,” he said. “I don’t think this is going to go any further than it’s gone right now. I think that’s hope.”

Canning hopes that a review of how the RCMP handled the investigation, which is currently underway, will finally answer his growing list of questions.

He plans to spend the next few days recovering from this latest development.

He does not know whether he will go to court every time the two suspects go appear, but he acknowledges he could change his mind.

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“I would like to go to support my daughter,” he said.

For our full coverage of the Rehtaeh Parsons case, click here