Man arrested for death threats against Kitchener, Ont. Liberal MP
A 44-year-old Woolwich, Ont., man has been arrested for allegedly making death threats against a member of parliament.
On Monday, Kitchener-Conestoga Liberal MP Tim Louis confirmed an arrest was made after threats were made against him.
In a statement, Louis said on Thursday his office contacted the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) about threats he allegedly received.
According to police, the suspect was arrested Friday and charged with uttering threats to cause death.
“I would like to thank WRPS for their swift action and diligence in handling this matter,” Louis said in the emailed statement.
“My office staff and I remain committed to serving constituents in Kitchener-Conestoga.”
Louis said he would not comment further because the matter is before the courts.
WRPS say the threats were made online. The accused will appear in court on March 20.
Former OPP Commissioner and CTV public safety analyst Chris Lewis says threats targeting politicians are on the rise.
"It's always been an issue, it's just until the last several years [there’s been] a lot of it because of some of the right wing and left wing extremists out there on the other side of border, a lot of that has bled into Canada and in fact, it has increased."
'A NEW ERA'
A local political scientist calls the situation alarming.
“If our members of parliament feel they are under threat and need to take a number security measures in order to engage with their own constituents, it’s really marking a new era in terms of our democracy,” said Julie Simmons, associate professor of political science at the University of Guelph.
Simmons said threats against politicians are happening more frequently following the Freedom Convoy in 2022.
“The whole mantra of that entire event, and we still see it, expletives about the prime minister, and we have it printed on bumper stickers and the back of cars, and it’s just brought the civility of the conversation to a new low,” Simmons said.
This comes four months after a Kitchener man was sentenced for threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while he was making a stop in Cambridge in 2021.
In his sentencing, the judge in that case noted he had to take into consideration the potential the threats could have had in the democratic election process.
Simmons said threats against politicians could stop some people from running and ultimately harm democracy.
“There’s always that worry that if people feel their lives are threatened or their lives of their family members are threatened, that they may certainly may not want to be part of that political process. That’s definitely a concern,” Simmons said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'