Amanda Todd's mother doesn't understand why she was excluded from an anti-bullying forum that the B.C. premier said was partly motivated by the teen's suicide in October.
Carol Todd was not permitted to attend the ERASE Bullying Summit, a B.C. government event on Tuesday to address bullying in schools, the Vancouver Sun reported. Todd's 15-year-old daughter, Amanda, killed herself after posting a YouTube video that detailed years of bullying and online harassment.
Carol Todd told the newspaper she was surprised she wasn't invited. She said she didn't want to speak at the conference, just to listen. But an education ministry staffer told her that her presence might upset some young people at the forum.
A Ministry of Education spokesman told News 1130 that Todd was allowed to have a representative at the conference instead.
The spokesman said an agreement was made before Tuesday's summit that Education Minister Don McRae would meet with Todd directly and discuss the conference.
Todd speculated on Twitter Tuesday night if her exclusion from the conference was a form of bullying itself.
Premier Christy Clark told CBC Early Edition host Rick Cluff on Wednesday: "I think the idea was that she would get a chance to really express herself over an hour rather than just a little bit in a 130-person forum," The Vancouver Sun reported.
When Cluff pressed the premier further, saying that Todd was blocked from attending, Clark replied that wasn't her "understanding" of what happened, and that she would try to get in touch with Todd to discuss the matter.
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