Ottawa calls on Twitter to act on abuse targeting CMA president
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino called on Twitter Canada to address online abuse directed at Canadian Medical Association president Dr. Katharine Smart.
Smart was targeted by abuse on Twitter on Dec. 22 by a poster who tweeted about “seeing” the doctor and her family “for weeks.”
In a letter addressed to Twitter Canada’s managing director, Paul Burns, Mendicino, called for the tweet to be removed.
“The clear intent of the tweet was to intimidate Dr. Smart and her family and interfere with her work during the pandemic,” Mendicino’s said in a tweet Tuesday afternoon.
In response to the abusive post last week, Smart tweeted “@TwitterSafety told me this tweet [emoji] did not violate their rules,” further condemning that “threats, harassment, and intimidation are not acceptable.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Twitter account handle “@AskTheBrownDoc1” had been removed, according to the Canadian Medical Association.
In response to questions from the Star, a Twitter Canada spokesperson said, “We recognize the concerns health practitioners have regarding social media, and we are committed to creating healthy experiences on Twitter. We have had regular dialogue with the CMA during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In an email to the Star, the Canadian Medical Association said, “We are working with authorities to identify and minimize any risk. We also call on social media platforms to increase efforts to ensure that their spaces are safe.”
Smart has reported the tweet to police.
In a statement on the Canadian Medical Association’s website, Smart said, “The federal government last week passed legislation to prohibit the harassment and intimidation of health-care workers and patients.”
Smart is referring to amendments to Bill C-3 on Dec. 17, which strengthens protection for health-care workers and outlines new offences under intimidation and obstruction or interference with access.
“What we need right now is not the ignorance and hate of a small minority, but the kindness, patience and goodwill that most Canadians continue to demonstrate,” Smart said in the statement.