St John’s MP Joan Thompson is one of several politicians who have used a panic button due to concerns for their personal safety. (Ted Dillon/CBC)
A federal MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says she’s thankful to be wearing a government-issued panic button as threats and harassment targeting politicians rise across Canada.
Joan Thompson, MP for St John East, is one of several members who have used the buttons, also called mobile duress alarms, in recent months. When pressed, the buttons alert the Parliamentary Protection Service or local police to security issues.
Although Thompson said she didn’t have to use the button while working at St. John’s, she often wears it while in Ottawa.
“In early fall, shortly after the election, I had a disturbing encounter with a voter in the race. And that’s when I saw the panic button and I was very grateful for that,” Thompson told CBC News Thursday.
“I was in Ottawa when I used it the most. You know, walking to work in the dark, coming back in the dark. It was an extra precaution, so I’m grateful for that.”
Thompson said most of her concerns came from emails and social media, saying others’ rhetoric has intensified in recent months. Other MPs have shared stories of harassment, death threats and dangerous messages that prompted them to use the panic button.
When asked how secure she feels in her job, Thompson said she doesn’t allow herself to think that way.
“I don’t engage in social media back-and-forth … and I don’t really want to travel down the road where I start to question my safety,” she said. “The people who are sending these messages, I think that’s what they want.
Police panic buttons like these are used to alert law enforcement when officers believe they are in imminent danger. (Steve Lawrence/CBC)
Scott Matthews, an associate professor of political science at Memorial University, says the increased use of panic buttons is likely a response to how people feel about the current state of Canadian politics as tensions between the parties rise.
“People who like one party or feel close to one of the parties tend to feel very distant from and very negative about the other parties. This is especially the case between liberals and conservatives or between New Democrats and conservatives. They really don’t like each other in a way that hasn’t been the case in the past,” Matthews told CBC News.
Matthews says he’s seen this trend come in waves in recent decades, but adds that the politics of COVID-19 have intensified the rift in the short term.
He believes that could continue when it comes to future elections, especially in areas where the races are more contested.
Even if we disagree on politics, there is much in common. Many things we share.- Scott Matthews
Asked what can be done to address the overarching problem of growing threats, Thompson said she believes it starts in the classroom.
“We need to create a change in how we access news, how we question sources … and also how we talk to each other,” she said. “Respect matters and matters of personal and public safety. The way we conduct ourselves plays an important role in achieving this.”
MUN Associate Professor Scott Matthews says panic buttons are not a real solution to the problem of increasing threats in the political landscape. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
Matthews says that things can be done by the politicians at the heart of the problem, especially regarding the use of hate speech.
It’s one thing to disagree, he said, but another to suggest that disagreement creates enemies in politics.
“Panic buttons and more generally the way our political system is protected against conflict is no solution. This is actually a sign of a problem,” he said.
“What we need to do is find ways to tone down the heated rhetoric and depolarize our political system… Even if we disagree on politics, there’s a lot in common. Many things we share.’
Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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