Time ‘to reflect on what we need to do’ to end harassment, MP says
McKenna speaks out after disturbing acts of aggression against female politicians
We have to go beyond recognizing and denouncing the hate, harassment and violence that are making politics a threatening space, particularly for women and racialized people, and start talking about how to change the situation.
That message came from Infrastructure Minister and Ottawa Centre MP Catherine McKenna at a Thursday news conference intended for the announcement of a new infrastructure initiative.
Questions from the media were instead mostly focused on the aftermath of a verbal assault at her office, one of a number of recent, disturbing incidents that have threatened the safety of female politicians.
“We’re in the middle of a pandemic … and it is unfortunate that we have to spend time talking about these incidents, as opposed to the great work that everyone is doing, that Canadians are doing,” McKenna said.
“But we must talk about it, and I think also — I’m just a practical person, so I think it’s now time for everyone to reflect on what we need to do to keep folks safe and to make sure that we do have a vibrant democracy where everyone — girls, women, diverse groups — want to step up and get into politics.
“How do we stop the hate? How do we stop the threats? How do we stop the violence? How do we stop this offline, how do we stop this online?”
Earlier in the week, McKenna spoke out after man at her constituency office filmed himself spewing a crude and hateful diatribe directed at the minister and her government, but delivered to one of her female staff members.
Shortly after, news broke that a large rock had been thrown through a window of city councillor Laura Dudas’s family home the week before. The vehicle in her driveway was also broken into — the only house in the neighbourhood this happened to, she believes.
Then, Nepean MPP and Ontario cabinet minister Lisa MacLeod went on a local radio program to talk about the harassment of female politicians.
In response she received threatening emails and a tire on car was deflated in her driveway. She’s now under police protection in Ottawa.
In a matter of days, three local female politicians at three levels of government with different partisan affiliations all had their sense of security jeopardized — if it still existed at all. McKenna, MacLeod, and Dudas have all faced — and spoken publicly about — previous hateful and threatening incidents.
“I’ve heard from politicians across the country, in particular women. So many incidents that go unreported,” McKenna said at her Thursday news conference.
“I think there needs to be a conversation about how do we keep people safe. How do we address social media, which is feeding hate, which is promoting lies? And how do we build a great democracy?
“I think we’ve seen in other places what we don’t want, and I think it is important that we focus on what we do want.” tblewett@postmedia.com