The attempted assassination of Donald Trump has inevitably and understandably prompted calls for reflection on the state of Canadian political culture, but these calls for reflection predate the recent outbreak of political violence in the United States.
“The level of threats and misogyny I receive, both online and in person, makes me afraid to go out in public,” Liberal MP Pam Damoff said. Said “That’s not a sustainable or healthy way to live,” he told a House of Commons committee in May.
Four weeks ago, Damov Announced She will not seek reelection, in part because “the tone and tenor of the public debate has deteriorated significantly.”
“The toxic desire for social media likes and videos among public officials stifles constructive dialogue, exacerbates the differences between us and reduces our ability to empathize with one another,” Damoff told the committee.
Liberal MP Pam Damoff has shared examples of harassment she and her staff have faced from members of the public, which she says continued even after she announced she would not seek re-election due to misogyny in politics, disrespectful comments and threats to her life.
Iqra Khalid, a Liberal MP who sat next to Damov, spoke of her own experiences of harassment and intimidation.
“We will not survive as a democracy if we cannot stop harassing each other in the name of partisan politics,” Khalid said. Said “Our next generation will be totally isolated, disenfranchised and will have no faith in our democratic institutions. I think it’s very important that we recognise this,” the committee said.
House of Representatives Minuteman Said The committee opened 530 dossiers about threats against lawmakers in 2023, compared with just eight such dossiers in 2019.
A security report prepared by senior civil servants last year warned that threats against politicians were “increasingly commonplace”. was suggested In May, police indicated they may need new tools to address the issue.
And the issue isn’t just limited to federal politics. The mayor of Gatineau, Quebec, said: Resigned He suddenly resigned in February, citing the current political climate, one of a wave of resignations across the province. Days later, the Quebec government Release It was a helpline for city politicians and has been Passed the law It also includes new measures to combat harassment of elected officials.
This problem is not limited to the United States and Canada. The new British government review Regarding the “alarming increase in intimidation, harassment and abuse against candidates, campaign workers and volunteers of all parties” seen during the recently concluded election campaign.
It’s true that politicians in this country and elsewhere have had to deal with personal threats for a long time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the current state of Canadian political culture is acceptable or not worth worrying about.
![Paint on a broken window](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7267584.1721312944!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/marc-miller-montreal-office-vandalized-image-1.jpg)
![Paint on a broken window](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7267584.1721312944!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/marc-miller-montreal-office-vandalized-image-1.jpg)
And a situation doesn’t have to escalate into deadly violence to be considered problematic — Damov’s example suggests that a toxic culture may already be causing people to remove themselves from the political process, which in itself may be considered a crisis.
But if the warning lights of Canada’s political culture are flashing red, the next question is, what should we do about it?
of The role and potential impact of social media It’s hard to ignore. New laws may also be needed to address offline behavior. Marco Mendicino, a former minister of public security, said: It is called It calls for the creation of “protected zones” around constituency offices.
While any proposed new regulations or laws will almost certainly, and rightly, raise concerns about free speech, it may still be possible to develop effective policies that take such concerns into account.
But in the wake of Saturday’s mass shooting in the US, attention has understandably focused first on the state of political discourse.
In May, NDP MP Charlie Angus Condemned Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre and his party have blamed growing toxicity in Canadian politics. Alberta Premier Daniel Smith Said Poirievre himself said on Monday that “progressive” politicians need to reflect on their rhetoric. pointed “For the violent and terrifying rhetoric of the radical left.” (At the time of writing, there is no information about what the motive or inspiration of the 20-year-old man who shot Donald Trump may have been.)
“All Canadian elected officials should take this opportunity to reflect on their own words and actions. Even if their words do not lead to violence, they should be concerned about whether our political discourse is becoming toxic. Preventing violence is of course important, but so is keeping our country together and maintaining a healthy democracy.”
But aside from the inevitable PointingConcerns about the tone of political debate are at odds with the fact that some degree of conflict is inevitable and in many ways necessary in a democracy: sometimes strong criticism, even condemnation, is justified.
Inside her Official Answer Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was targeted in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The 2000 kidnapping plot — she called on Americans to condemn “counterproductive language designed to divide us.” This might be a good starting point for drawing the line between acceptable rhetoric and harmful rhetoric.
![A Trump supporter wears a gas mask and holds an American flag as a crowd swarms the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.5896897.1690564593!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/1295038558.jpg)
![A Trump supporter wears a gas mask and holds an American flag as a crowd swarms the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.5896897.1690564593!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/1295038558.jpg)
Calls to political violence are clearly harmful, as are language that dehumanizes Canadians, needlessly demonizes them or pits them against each other. What matters most is the truth – the facts on which claims are made.
For example, suggesting that Trump is a serious threat to American democracy may be controversial. But it is also Concerns based on observable facts — starting with President Trump’s support for the January 2021 attempted insurrection.
Iqra Khalid suggested that MPs are able to work across party lines when the cameras aren’t rolling, testifying before a House of Commons committee in May. She recalled treating Conservative MP Michael Barrett to cake for his birthday and Conservative MP Melissa Lanzman bringing her dinner.
It will do Canadians no harm to see this – to see their MPs treating each other as human beings worthy of respect, not just as sworn enemies.
But the first step to improving Canada’s political culture may be to admit that there is a problem.