Despite a mounting number of threats, federal Justice Minister Arif Virani says he's not keen to endorse the RCMP commissioner's recent suggestion that Ottawa make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani arrives at a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
While Virani said he wishes things were different, he's not keen to endorse the RCMP boss's recent suggestion that Ottawa make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials. He said that an individual's behaviour often doesn't meet the threshold to lay a charge under Canadian law.
Liberal MP Pam Damoff has said she's not seeking re-election because of the threats and harassment she's had to face. An increasing number of MPs, including Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman, have been seen with a protective detail on Parliament Hill. Protests about the same issue also erupted in front of Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly's home in Montreal, drawing criticism from MPs across the spectrum who said such behaviour crossed a line.
It also proposes stiffer punishments for hate-related crimes — measures that civil society advocates and other legal experts have warned could risk chilling free speech. Virani has defended those measures as necessary to prevent online hate from turning into real-life violence."I would stand by that document as a comprehensive response to deal with the root causes of what's causing the concerns was raising," he said.
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