Facing threats and hostility shouldn't be the price of life in modern politics
Nevertheless, fear cannot lead to silence, writes
I stretch out my fingers before I land them on the keyboard. I've been writing opinion pieces for decades. Most of them read more like reports to constituents during my 15 years in elected office — three on Nelson's City Council and 12 as the member of B.C.'s Legislature for Nelson-Creston. Some were information pieces on controversial energy projects while I was a cabinet minister. I also jotted down a few words about being one of three B.C. women to give birth while holding a ministerial post.
Now, I'm back at it more regularly. As my fingertips dance across letters, punctuation and space bar, I land on an issue that has plagued women in politics since we first took seats in Canada's halls of power just over 100 years ago. Sadly, we still need to talk about it because, once again, it's in the news as my former colleague MLA Selina Robinson contends with death threats and hate-based vandalism to her community office.
After making some offensive remarks, Selina apologized and committed to learn from her actions and make amends. She then resigned from cabinet as the minister for post-secondary education and announced that after serving her constituents since 2013, she won't be seeking reelection.
I worked with Selina for a long time and know that she was sincere with her olive branch. But when in the public eye, most people only know your name and what they read in the news, and if they don't like what you said or did, some can be quick to judge, while for others, it may take time to forgive. However, at no point does disagreement, offence or difference give anyone licence to threaten violence and evoke fear in someone, even if they are in public office. There is no place for this in a just and democratic society. And yet, it happens. Violent threats flew at Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland over COVID restrictions. The same happened to former federal ministers of the environment Catherine McKenna (from pro-oil activists) and Rona Ambrose (from environmental activists). Just last week, the first female mayor of Gatineau stepped down, citing the death threats and hostility as no longer worth the job. In fact, the list of politicians receiving threats is so long it's well beyond the word count of this column.
In 2022, while at a news conference to explain the federal government's increased security for ministers and MPs, Canada's Minister for Gender Equality Marci Ien pointed out that threats of violence against women, Indigenous people and people of colour in politics was more frequent and had been going on for a long time.
I can attest to that. In 2011, I was scared when a man started leaving vicious and sexualized messages on my office voicemail. He then started to intimidate me at public events. I didn't know where he would be or what he'd do next.
As this was going on, the news hit about a man with a gun who had arrived at U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords' community event. He shot her and killed several others, including a child. She was hosting a grassroots public event for constituents called “Congress on your corner.” I also hosted the same kind of events, called “Bend the MLA's Ear.” The shooter's hatred of Giffords galvanized when he didn't like how she answered his question at an event in 2007. The man harassing me said he didn't like how I had answered one of his questions in 2009.
I've talked to many women in politics. Almost all of them have their story of sexual harassment, death threats, verbal abuse, and threats of sexual assault from members of the public. For years, we didn't know what to do about these criminal acts in our workplace. My own story is not one where the justice system, nor my community, was at its best — the harasser's defence lawyer even used a three-second clip of me smiling and dancing in a video to justify his client's actions. But I am relieved to see that these threats of violence are being taken more seriously now.
This past December, a man was sentenced for death threats against Australian MP Anne Webster. The threats against Selina Robinson are being investigated. Women's groups have started to take action on the issue. And in the last two weeks the federal government has increased security for MPs who have been receiving hate-based threats and whose offices have been vandalized.
However, it would be better if these forms of violence didn't happen in the first place. For anyone. As Ottawa City Coun. Ariel Troster told the Ottawa Citizen, “I don't think you should have to have a thick skin to be in politics. There shouldn't be a cost to be in public life.”
While I am excited to be writing again, I can't help but think, women in journalism get it just as bad as women in politics. Am I opening myself up to threats again? I hope not. My children sure wouldn't want that. But I'm also determined to show my children, like so many people have done, that fear cannot lead to silence and that protecting oneself while standing up to violence, rather than enduring it, is strength.
… At no point does disagreement, offence or difference give anyone licence to threaten violence.
MICHELLE MUNGALL