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New RCMP units to protect ministers, top bureaucrats from threats of political violence

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The RCMP is preparing to offer close protection services to both senior federal ministers and public servants in response to the rising threat of political violence, sources say.

New RCMP units are expected to offer protection to up to 10 ministers or high-level bureaucrats at a time, according to information obtained by CBC News and Radio-Canada.

These new protection units are to be assigned on a case-by-case basis to ministers or officials based on risk assessments conducted by the RCMP.

While ministers have been clamouring for more protective services for years, the government’s decision to include senior bureaucrats among the people the RCMP protects points to a growing level of alarm in official Ottawa over the threat of political violence.

“The threat environment continues to evolve,” said former clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick.

“We saw during the pandemic in Canada and in other countries that it is not just politicians but also officials that can be in harm’s way. It makes sense to have the ability to extend greater protection for periods of time and to rely on the assessments by security and law enforcement professionals.”

Permanent RCMP teams already protect the prime minister and the Governor General. A few cabinet ministers have received close protection services in recent years, but only on a temporary basis.

Sources tell CBC/Radio-Canada the government’s plan is to give the RCMP additional funding to double the number of protection officers it employs. The matter has gone to cabinet and is currently in front of the Treasury Board.

There are no plans to grant the same protective services to backbench MPs, opposition leaders or political aides — even though several of them also have been threatened in recent years.

The office of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not respond to a question about satisfaction with current security arrangements.

Radio-Canada and CBC News granted confidentiality to sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about security issues or matters before cabinet.

A growing number of threats

Several sources pointed to the growing number of threats made in person or online against people in government in recent years.

Many threats have come from opponents of restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sources said other threats against politicians or bureaucrats have been related to policy issues such as gun control or the development of natural resources — and even the controversy at Hockey Canada.

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam and other bureaucrats associated with Canada’s pandemic response have received many threats of violence.

A number of cabinet ministers also have experienced aggressive encounters in recent years, both online and in person. Last August, a video showing a man hurling profanity at Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and calling her a “traitor” during an event in Alberta triggered a debate about threats to politicians.

 

‘What happened was wrong’: Freeland on recent verbal attack in Alberta

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has responded to her recent harassment during a stop in Grande Prairie, Alta., over the weekend. Freeland, who was born and raised in Alberta, said she is not intimidated by the behaviour and also noted how harassment affects people other than herself.

Earlier this month, an Ontario man was sentenced to house arrest for throwing gravel at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during an election campaign stop in 2021.

The sources said many threats against senior federal officials have never been publicized. They added that many ministers and government officials feel the RCMP does not take certain specific threats seriously enough.

The RCMP, meanwhile, says it suffers from a shortage of protection officers and has had to prioritize existing security obligations.

A three-day retreat attended by Trudeau and his cabinet in Hamilton, Ont. in January amplified the sense of vulnerability among cabinet ministers, sources said.

A small but vocal group of protesters set up outside the hotel hosting the retreat. After dinner with his ministers, Trudeau made his way back to his hotel through the crowd of protesters with the help of his protective detail. But a number of ministers lingered at the restaurant because “the police did not know how to get us out of the situation,” said a Liberal source.

 

Trudeau reacts to being swarmed by protesters in Hamilton

 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a ‘handful of angry people’ do not define ‘democracy in this country.’

“What struck me was the lack of planning,” said the source.

Eventually, the group of ministers walked through the crowd of protesters with the help of the Hamilton police and at least one member of the RCMP. Some feared the situation would get out of hand, said the party source.

“They took the whole gang out of us together … It could have been catastrophic,” said the source.

The sources said the experience in Hamilton convinced cabinet of the need for expanded RCMP protective services.

Former RCMP deputy commissioner Pierre-Yves Bourduas said the threat of political violence is part of a “new normal” in Canada.

“The situation doesn’t seem to be improving and in that context, the RCMP must make sure it has the resources in place to meet the new operational challenges,” he said.

Richard Fadden, former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, pointed to a growing “disconnect between some parts of the population and government” as one driver for the rising number of violent threats.

“You go back 25 years, there were a lot of very unhappy people. But the disconnect … wasn’t there and I don’t think the ability to organize quickly, to bring together protests … was there,” he said.

The House of Commons also has adopted measures to better protect MPs attending events in their constituencies.

At a meeting of the Board of Internal Economy in December, the House launched a pilot project to pay security costs for events organized by MPs outside the parliamentary precinct.

The Sergeant at Arms of the House of Commons will conduct security assessments to determine whether such an event needs on-site security.

The office of government House leader Mark Holland told Radio-Canada/CBC that Parliament has introduced measures to protect individual MPs when they’re outside the parliamentary precinct, including security assessments and outreach to local police.

“For security reasons, detailed information about these programs is not shared publicly,” said the office spokesperson.

 

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‘Disgraceful:’ N.S. Tory leader slams school’s request that military remove uniform

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.

Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.

A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”

Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.

“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.

In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”

“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”

Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.

Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.

Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.

“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.

“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.

“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.

“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”

“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Nova Scotia election: Liberals say province’s immigration levels are too high

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.

Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.

“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.

“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”

The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.

In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.

“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”

In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.

“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”

Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.

Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.

“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”

In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.

In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.

“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”

Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.

“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”

The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.

“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.

“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

— With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax

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