Trudeau says government not planning new law to curb protests targeting politicians
CBC
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government has no plans to expand a law protecting health care workers and patients from aggressive protests to cover politicians.
As the pandemic nears its two-year mark, politicians, frontline health care workers and patients seeking care have found themselves targeted by anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown protests.
To address that threat, the federal government worked with the opposition to pass Bill C-3, which made it an offence punishable by up to 10 years in prison to intimidate health care workers and patients trying to access medical care.
Trudeau — who was himself the target of threats and abuse on the campaign trail during the last federal election — said today he has no plans for now to expand Bill C-3 to cover politicians.
"Nobody in the course of doing their job should be faced with threats of violence, threats to their family. That applies for health care workers or for politicians or anyone else," Trudeau said.
"We continue to engage with public security, with police services, to ensure that we're doing everything we can to protect Canadians, but we haven't at this point looked at similar legislation."
An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News in an email that Mounties have "seen an increase in the number of incidents that either occurred or were planned" at politicians' "residences or constituency offices."
Those incidents seem to be targeting people at all levels of government. Earlier this month, protesters enraged by pandemic public health measures and vaccine mandates gathered outside Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek's home.
"It is an incredibly unnerving and unsettling experience to look out your window and see people holding signs calling you a Nazi," Gondek told CBC News.
"We have provided these public places for people to do these types of protests or rallies. You can't do it at someone's home. It's simply wrong. It's inappropriate. It's an intimidation tactic, and you will not have good people running for public service if we allow this to continue."
On Tuesday, Calgary city council approved a plan to pay for home security systems for council members.
Three provincial politicians in Ontario — Premier Doug Ford, Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Health Minister Christine Elliott — have been visited at home by protesters infuriated by lockdowns, school closures and vaccination programs.
When asked by CBC News whether the Ford government would consider a new law to protect public office holders, the premier's office sidestepped the question.
"These petty tactics have no impact on this government's resolve to do the right thing in order to protect the people of Ontario," the premier's office told CBC News.
