Canadian politicians becoming more isolated from public amid security concerns: experts

In the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and amid rising threats of political violence here in Canada, some experts are expressing concerns that politicians are becoming isolated from the public in a way that could be damaging to democracy.

Threatening behaviour towards politicians has seen a dramatic increase, with the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons saying harassment of MPs has jumped almost 800 per cent over the last five years.

Some MPs now travel with panic buttons and have personal bodyguards.

Experts say the end result is more politicians avoiding direct engagement with the people they are supposed to be representing.

Mount Royal University Political Scientist, Lori Williams, says avoiding the public could actually make the problem worse in the long run.

“Because they will become more isolated, they perhaps won’t be as much in contact with everyday Canadians and at the end of the day that means their concerns aren’t being heard, this could really be damaging for us in the long run,” she said.

Stephanie Carvin, a former national security analyst who is now a professor at Carelton University, agrees.

“It could actually increase the level of polarization, the anger, the resentment, the dissatisfaction that people feel and raise expectations and increase anger and that could actually have a snowball effect.”

In Toronto, several MPs’ offices have been vandalized and anti-Israel protesters have also turned up outside the private homes of cabinet ministers including Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Justice Minister Arif Virani.

On Monday, Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc said Canada’s spy agency and Mounties are working to keep Canadian politicians safe.

“CSIS is always at work collecting information that helps the RCMP adjust their security posture where necessary,” LeBlanc said.

“I am confident that the RCMP will do what’s necessary to protect elected leaders in Canada.”

LeBlanc refused, however, to say if there has been an increase in threats against Canadian politicians since the attack on Trump, which claimed the life of a former fire chief, wounded two other men, and left a defiant Trump with a bloody ear after he was grazed by a bullet.

“We don’t discuss specific threats, the number of threats, the nature of the threats, because it can in fact encourage other people,” LeBlanc said.