The video of a man violently insulting Deputy Premier Chrystia Freeland in Alberta last Friday shook the entire political class, but few were really surprised to see such an incident.
Yet, although virtual and physical threats have been on the rise for months, the safety of elected officials continues to be the subject of mere discussion in Ottawa. It is that the remedy does not make consensus, and the line of fracture seems geographical. The movement is gaining momentum and is galvanized by its freedom to intimidate elected officials, at all levels of government.
Pauline Marois finds it hard to understand why the number two in the Canadian government found herself alone, accompanied only by two political assistants, facing a man who was twice her size and who shouted at her ” fucking traitor, fucking bitch and to “get out of this province”.
“It’s completely shocking and unacceptable,” said the former premier of Quebec, who was the target of an attack in Metropolis the night of her victory in 2012.
“There should be better protection for federal government ministers,” she says, citing the drivers who accompany Quebec ministers, who are armed and trained to handle such an incident. “I find it a bit risky that they don’t have this protection. »
This is completely shocking and unacceptable[…] There should be better protection for federal government ministers
Since leaving politics, Mr.me Marois notes that public debate and social networks have led some people to poison the dialogue rather than to appease it. And the laissez-faire attitude observed in Ottawa during the occupation of downtown by the so-called “Freedom Convoy” did not help, in his view. “At some point, you have to be able to control these phenomena. What happened in Ottawa, everyone will agree, was not handled particularly well. This allowed these people to take up space, to occupy space. »
Chrystia Freeland was shouted at during her visit to the town hall of Grande Prairie, Alberta, by a man who would have himself organized a convoy there, according to the publication The Tyee. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have opened an investigation.
The case has reignited the whole debate surrounding the safety of party leaders and federal ministers. Federal Minister of Public Security Marco Mendicino assures that “all options remain on the table”, including providing ministers with an armed driver. He had the same speech last spring…
At the time, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was chased, cursed at and surrounded by protesters. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to cancel two events for security reasons.
It will be recalled that in 2016, British MP Jo Cox was killed by a white supremacist with a gun and a knife. And last July, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in the middle of the street.
Priority, but contentious
The security of federal ministers is on the agenda at next week’s Cabinet retreat in Vancouver. The options considered could be presented there, according to two sources.
However, there is a difference of opinion around the cabinet table as to what solutions to recommend.
While the idea of a bodyguard or a driver acting as such is well established in Quebec, where ministers are accompanied on all their trips, this is not the case elsewhere in Canada. This makes many reluctant to follow in the footsteps of the Quebec government. To not give reason to people who want to intimidate them. Or because they believe that Canadian politicians must remain accessible to citizens.
Logistics would also be more complex at the federal level than in Quebec. Canadian ministers represent constituencies across the country and travel to even more places. This would require creating a team of drivers or security guards available at all times, as needed, across the country. Which would not only be complicated, but very expensive.
National security expert Stephanie Carvin is one of those who are not convinced of the relevance of the Quebec model at the federal level. She is nevertheless as worried as Pauline Marois to see a physical altercation escalate to the point where a politician could be injured.
Because it is the very basis of political debate that has changed in Canada, explains this professor from Carleton University. Like the United States, for a fringe of society, it is no longer a question of simple disagreements on certain issues, but of a clash of values that threatens its way of life. The adversary is then seen as a traitor: he must be defeated, imprisoned, even neutralized.
The way to achieve this is thus no longer the debate of ideas within the democratic system, but physical confrontation.
The pandemic has exacerbated the phenomenon, as has the emergence of social networks. But the lack of repression by the police also has something to do with it, underlines Professor Carvin. Physical altercations as well as complaints from elected officials or journalists for harassment or threats against them rarely lead to charges. Those who indulge in this type of behavior find themselves galvanized. “The idea that the police can’t do anything against them encourages them. »
An isolated incident that will repeat itself
Some qualify the problem behind the scenes by saying that the bullying suffered by Chrystia Freeland remains rare. Ministers’ offices can call on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to accompany them when needed, and many have done so on occasion. The Deputy Prime Minister’s office did not specify why Ms.me Freeland was traveling alone.
In the absence of a protection service at all times, it is therefore up to the young political employees for the moment to protect their boss or boss.
Widespread or not, the physical altercations are indeed worrying in the eyes of the security services. The important system accompanying the leaders of political parties campaigning in Quebec confirms this.
While the federal government is still debating the solution, the attackers’ modus operandi is not in doubt. “They want to intimidate and inconvenience politicians,” says Professor Carvin. The man who attacked Chrystia Freeland said he was proud of his gesture and, now that his video has circulated widely, is seen as a hero in far-right circles. “The phenomenon is not about to disappear”, concludes the expert.