The RCMP says it is investigating the verbal harassment of Deputy Premier Chrystia Freeland that occurred in Alberta on Aug. 26, saying it “takes threats against public officials seriously.”
“The RCMP, or the local police of jurisdiction, reviews all incidents to determine the appropriate course of action,” said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Caroline Duval in a statement to CTV News. “Physical action and statements made in person or online can have a significant impact and may be against the law.”
Video of the incident circulating widely on social media shows a man shouting profanities at the minister in the lobby of Grande Prairie City Hall, calling her a “traitor” and a “f—ing b— -” while she and her staff. entered an elevator.
“Get the crap out of this province!” the man is heard yelling, as another woman tells Freeland, born in Peace River, Alta., “You don’t belong here.”
The RCMP said Tuesday that if the threshold for a criminal charge is met, the RCMP or jurisdictional police can make an arrest and lay charges.
If the criminal threshold is not met, Duval said the RCMP will examine “threats and derogatory comments from an intelligence perspective.”
After the footage surfaced over the weekend, politicians of all stripes have voiced their support for Freeland and condemned the harassment.
Freeland responded to the incident on Saturday, calling the situation “wrong.”
“Nobody, anywhere, should have to put up with threats and intimidation,” Freeland said. “The Alberta I know is full of friendly and welcoming people.”
The incident occurred while the deputy prime minister and finance minister was in western Canada as part of a visit to meet with local businesses, farmers, traders and politicians.
Tuesday was the first day since the incident that Freeland’s office publicly released his itinerary. He is once again in Alberta, meeting with greenhouse workers, as well as Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who in light of Freeland’s experience took to Twitter to share her own experiences with the goal
Asked Tuesday about the increase in threats and harassment directed at politicians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians have been through a lot in recent years, with people feeling “a lot of pressure” stemming from anxieties pandemics, economic and climate.
“Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to all these challenges we face. It’s going to take hard work, it’s going to take people listening to each other, it’s going to take government stepping up and delivering to the people, and now is the time of responsible leadership,” Trudeau said. “It’s time for people to seek to calm their fears and anger, to respond with a positive vision of the future. People are suffering”
“Each of us in positions of authority or power must ensure that we are not inciting or fomenting anger or frustrations, but actually proposing concrete and real solutions,” the Prime Minister said.
On Monday, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino said he was looking into options to increase security for politicians and that as the security situation becomes “more and more complex” it is necessary to “lower the temperature”.
The national police force said that while it would not comment on the specific security measures in place in Freeland, Members of Parliament may receive RCMP protection in Canada and abroad “as needed.”
Protection for politicians is “intelligence-led,” “proportionate” to the threat and continually reviewed, Duval said.
“The RCMP is committed to safeguarding Canadian dignitaries under its jurisdiction, including Members of Parliament and Ministers of the Crown, based on the latest threat and risk assessments,” he said.