Assassination of Shinzo Abe | In Canada, the security of elected officials “must be quickly improved”

Strongly denounced by most Western leaders on Friday, the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe illustrates once again the need for a “real public debate” on the security surrounding elected politicians, believe experts, at a time when the seriousness of the threats to their lives is “increasing rapidly”.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

Mylene Crete
The Press

“Many governments don’t take security issues seriously enough in general. It needs to be improved quickly. The assassination of Shinzo Abe, I hope that, in a tragic way, it will contribute to accelerating these debates, for which we are really late, “says the national security expert at the University of Ottawa, Thomas Juneau, also a former policy officer at the Department of National Defence.

Even if the exercise will be “politically delicate”, in an increasingly divided universe, Mr. Juneau calls on Ottawa and all the other levels of government to discuss it as soon as possible. “In Canada, thinking that it’s just people talking nonsense on Twitter doesn’t work anymore. The incitement to violence is there. And it just takes a small number for it to go wrong,” he insists.

Political scientist Stéphanie Chouinard, professor of political science at Queen’s University, agrees. “It’s quite shocking, because Japan is not a country with a culture of guns or violence. The chances of an attack like this happening in Canada are therefore, in fact, greater,” she said.

Today a security consultant, the former executive of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Michel Juneau-Katsuya also sounds a similar story. “The problem we are currently facing is that these acts of violence are increasing more and more. It’s part of what I call the deterioration of democratic decorum, ”he recalls.

“If you’re playing with matches and oil, don’t be surprised if it catches fire. That’s what’s happening right now. We have politicians who make all kinds of speeches, and who animate a certain more extremist political fringe. This international climate should challenge our leaders in terms of security, and quickly,” continues the expert.

Elected officials also concerned

Offering in turn their condolences to those close to the former Japanese prime minister, several elected officials also showed clear signs of concern on Friday. “We will always firmly oppose any type of political violence, threats, intimidation that puts our democracies in danger”, illustrated in particular the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, Friday, during a speech in Ottawa. for the unveiling of the work of art Humanity Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri.

“I am shocked and saddened by the attack on Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan. My thoughts are with his family, friends and the people of Japan who mourn this terrible loss. Rest in peace,” said New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh.

“Shinzo was a great friend of Canada, Canadians and also of myself,” Mr. Trudeau also said, speaking of a “senseless” act of violence. “His leadership — he was there when I was first elected — his role model, his compassion, his humanity and his vision for the future inspires us all and will inspire us together,” he further said of the murdered politician, who led the Japanese government twice from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020.

In Quebec, Premier François Legault said he was “shattered by the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe”. “Quebec joins Canada and the rest of the world in denouncing this act of violence against the very foundations of democracy,” he tweeted.

The Quebec Minister of International Relations, Nadine Girault, also reacted at the start of the day. “All my thoughts to the Japanese people, our dear friends, following the assassination of their former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He was a proud ambassador of his nation and fostered the development of relations between Japan and Quebec. she tweeted.

Among the Federal Conservatives, interim leader Candice Bergen recalled that Shinzo Abe “ [avait] instrumental in strengthening Canada-Japan relations. “His legacy is one of commitment to regional prosperity and security, reflected in treaties like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership to which Canada and Japan are signatories,” she said.

“I want to express my condolences and my sympathy, like those of the Bloc Québécois, to the people of Japan, but also my anger and my indignation that our so-called democratic and secure societies see public figures murdered cowardly and obviously easily”, as for to him underlined the leader bloquiste Yves-François Blanchet.

“This assassination shakes the foundations of democracy. of any democracy. It sends shivers down your spine,” said Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy.

Who was Shinzo Abe?

Born September 21, 1954 in Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shinzo Abe served as Prime Minister of Japan from September 2006 to September 2007. He returned to power in December 2012 until September 2020. The former leader of State had a profound impact on political life, resisting numerous political and financial scandals around him and those close to him. He made a name for himself abroad above all with his economic policy dubbed “Abenomics” launched from the end of 2012, combining monetary easing, massive budgetary stimulus and structural reforms. At the head of Japan, he recorded certain successes, such as a notable increase in the activity rate of women and the elderly, as well as greater recourse to immigration in the face of the shortage of labour. For lack of sufficient structural reforms, however, Abenomics has produced only partial successes. In the summer of 2020, having become unpopular for his management of the pandemic deemed clumsy by public opinion, Shinzo Abe admitted that he suffered from a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and resigned shortly after. .

According to Agence France-Presse