Members of parliament told CBC News stories of harassment and threats against them just a day after the government announced that MPs would receive personal panic buttons.
The buttons, also called “mobile coercion alarms”, can be used to alert the Parliamentary Security Service (PPS) or the local police.
Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino said this week that his office, the PPS and law enforcement are reviewing the security of parliamentarians following a series of threatening incidents this year. Mendicino said he had received numerous death threats via social media.
He is not the only one.
Liberal MP Chris Beatle will not say whether he is wearing a panic button. He said he had received about 20 death threats, all of which were referred to police. He said there were several convictions as a result.
The Beatle said the threats came as a surprise to him when he entered politics.
“I knew people would be angry with us. I did not expect all the death threats, “he said.
“There are a lot of angry people. And there is a lot of political language, including words like ‘traitor’, that are used freely, including by politicians.
“If you believe someone is a traitor or worse … it can lead to violence.”
WATCH Trudeau, Minister of Public Security and MPs talk about panic buttons
Trudeau, Minister of Public Security and MPs talk about panic buttons
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino, NDP MP Heather McPherson and Conservative MP Ben Lob are discussing whether members of parliament need panic buttons.
Liberal MP Judy Sgro said she believes the threats and harassment of MPs are “much worse” now than in previous years.
She suggested that the Freedom Convoy vaccine mandate, which occupied Ottawa in February and March this year, was a turning point.
“Things have changed a lot in the last few years,” she told CBC News. “And especially after the convoy problem, most of us felt very insecure.”
Although parliamentary guards offered personal panic buttons to lawmakers ahead of Monday’s announcement, Sgro said she did not initially take one – not until someone followed her for most of her day’s walk.
Sgro said the stranger complained about their COVID-19 vaccine status and the restrictions that came with it. She said she was about to call 911 when the stranger finally left.
“Nasty, angry, frustrated people”
“I think women are more vulnerable and they also feel much more vulnerable,” Sgro said.
“So improving security for all parliamentarians is unfortunate, but it seems that we are currently in a difficult time in society. [There’s] very nasty, angry, frustrated people. “
She said she felt safer now that she was wearing the panic button.
Earlier this month, Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner said the occupation of Freedom Convoy showed the court needed additional security.
Liberal MP Yasser Nakvi said that although he did not personally feel the need for a panic button, he was concerned about the safety of his family.
“For me, my biggest concern is my family – to make sure they are always safe, to ensure that I have appropriate security measures at home, which are provided by the House of Commons,” he said.
Conservative MP Dan Albas said the rise in angry rhetoric was at odds with Canadians’ friendly reputation.
“Canadians are known to be warm people. We want the best for everyone. So we need to start talking more about how we can get our talks back, especially our political discourse, in that direction,” Albas said. .
Conservative MP Ben Lobb agrees that political rhetoric has become more heated in recent years.
“The rhetoric is too much – it’s very different from what it was 10 or 15 years ago,” he said.
“I don’t know if it’s social media or just the state of people’s mental health in certain cases, but I think everyone should relax a little and try not to think that every problem is the end of the world to threaten people. .
But Lob also doubted how useful a panic button would be if someone abused a politician.
“In many cases, I think it’s probably too late to push the button while you’re having an attack,” he said.
The head of the parliament’s security forces questions the inaction of the police
Military Sergeant Patrick McDonnell, who heads parliament’s security guards, is now offering training to de-escalate lawmakers in the hope that such attacks can be prevented.
On Tuesday, McDonnell told a committee of lawmakers that he was “shocked” by how the Ottawa city police allowed harassment of lawmakers and lawmakers during the Freedom Convoy protest.
He told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that lawmakers and their staff face harassment almost every day on Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, which is under the jurisdiction of local police.
McDonnell said there was a police car near the events he described and that the incidents were reported to Ottawa police “every day.”
Sergeant Patrick McDonnell carries a mace from the House of Commons to House Speaker Anthony Roth on November 23, 2021. McDonnell, chief of security in parliament, said he was amazed that local police did not take further action when lawmakers were threatened. during the occupation of the Convoy of Freedom. (Justin Tang / Canadian Press)
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government is focused on tackling growing threats of violence.
“We know, unfortunately, that there is a significant amount of anger and helplessness directed at the government, directed at officials,” Trudeau told reporters.
“We need to make sure that anyone who strengthens to serve their community at any level of policy is safe, and that is something we take very seriously.”
The MP says that the commitment of politics, diversity can be threatened
NDP MP Heather McPherson said in a media brawl on Tuesday that at one point in January she feared so much for her family’s safety that she called home to make sure the doors were locked.
She said people threatened to kill her dog online.
McPherson hinted at the killings of two UK lawmakers – Joe Cox in 2016 and David Ames in 2021 – when he spoke about the need to protect politicians.
“We see what happened in the UK, we see what happened to parliamentarians in other countries, and I don’t think it’s reasonable to wait for a similar situation to happen in Canada to act on the security I think is necessary,” he said. she in front of reporters.
Flowers surround a photo of Joe Cox during a vigil in Parliament Square on June 16, 2016 in London, UK. Cox was assassinated in 2016, and another British MP, David Ames, was assassinated in 2021. NDP MP Heather McPherson said tragedies in the UK and elsewhere showed the need for security measures for Canadian lawmakers. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
She said threats could compromise politicians’ engagement with the public.
“I want to have barbecues, I want to hand out ice cream, I want to be in society,” she said. “I want to be available so that people can talk to me. And the threat to my personality is that we need to seriously consider the pros and cons of holding public events that we advertise widely.”
McPherson said he should never have used a panic button, although he has one in his office and one he carries with him.
She said she feared people would become insensitive to stories of violent threats against people in politics and government. She said the threat could discourage women and people of color from running for office.
“We have to be so careful not to be like this frog that is in cold water with increased heat,” McPherson said.
“We cannot normalize this. We cannot normalize violence against people running for office. Because if we do, our democracy will be deeply damaged.”
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