The House of Commons sergeant said he was “amazed” by how Ottawa police allowed harassment of members of parliament and officials during protests against COVID-19 restrictions in the capital earlier this year.
Patrick McDonnell, who works closely with the head of the Parliamentary Protection Service, told the Municipal Committee on Tuesday that lawmakers and their staff face harassment almost every day on Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, which is under the jurisdiction of the local police.
McDonald’s remarks came when lawmakers were given panic buttons to increase their personal security in response to threats and growing concerns about harassment of politicians.
MEPs are adapting to the idea of wearing panic buttons amid growing threats
The Committee on Procedures and Affairs Committee is examining whether to extend the federal jurisdiction for security in the area around Parliament Hill to include parts of Wellington Street where vehicles are parked for three weeks during the Freedom Convoy, and Sparks Street, which includes pedestrian Lenta.
McDonnell said there was a police car “close” to the events he described, and that the incidents were reported to Ottawa police “every day.”
One person would block some employees’ cars when they arrive at a nearby parking lot, and if the employee is a woman, the person will “hit his car” before moving away, he said.
An employee was attacked by a man who tried to throw something that looked like a bag of human excrement before another employee arrived and pushed the man to the ground, McDonnell added.
When Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell appeared before the commission in May, he was asked how many cases of harassment of lawmakers and officials he was aware of during the blockade.
Bell said he did not have this information immediately, and suggested that the question might be more appropriate for RCMP Deputy Commissioner Michael Duham, “who will be responsible for the initial response to these incidents.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that there was “a significant amount of anger and frustration” directed at the government and officials.
“We need to make sure that anyone who strengthens to serve their community at any level of politics is safe, and that’s something we take very seriously,” Trudeau said.
Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino said after a cabinet meeting Tuesday that he believes there are many factors that have made the panic button helpful for lawmakers, such as the growing online extremist expression that “clearly crosses the Rubicon into criminal content where people receive death threats. “
In an earlier interview, Mendicino revealed that he has been the target of death threats on social media in recent weeks after presenting a bill restricting gun ownership.
Carolyn Bennett, the Minister for Mental Health and Addictions, said after the cabinet meeting that there had been growing concerns about security in lawmakers ‘homes and more protests in lawmakers’ offices since last summer.
Bennett also mentioned last year’s federal election, where a handful of gravel was thrown at Trudeau during a political rally during an election campaign.
“People carry out their anger in ways I don’t think we’ve seen before,” she said.
This story was created with the financial support of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
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