A Liberal MP wants to put jail time on the table for people who harass members of Parliament and their staff.
Former Liberal cabinet minister Marco Mendicino is calling on the government to implement “protective zones” to shield MPs from harassment.
The request comes as harassment against parliamentarians rose by almost 800% in five years.
Mendicino made the comments in an interview with the Canadian Press.
“We have to take parliamentary security more seriously,” said Mendicino. “We need as Canadians to open our eyes and recognize that political violence is not something that just occurs somewhere else, but that it is happening here in our own communities.”
Mendicino says that while he believes people have the right to express their disagreement to their elected officials, there are limits.
“We’re seeing more threats, more intimidation, more harassment, which can lead to harm both online and in the community,” he noted.
Mendicino is asking for anti harassment buffer zones of 50 to 100 meters around the constituency offices of MPs to protect them and their staff.
He noted that such zones should come with strict penalties for violators, like harsher criminal penalties and jail time.
Mendicino, who previously served as public safety minister, said he “always found that the RCMP were prepared to step up.”
Similar “anti-harassment” bubble zones have already been implemented around abortion clinics, schools, drag queen story hours and places of worship.
In recent years, there have been several cases of MPs and their staff being targeted and harassed.
The Montreal constituency office of Immigration Minister Marc Miller was severely vandalized Monday night.
Windows were smashed and paint was spread all over the facade. Red Hamas triangles along with the phrase “Marc Miller, child killer,” were also spray-painted on a door, leading Montreal police to believe pro-Palestinian activists were behind the vandalism.
Other MPs have also recently had their offices vandalized, including Davenport MP Julie Dzerowicz, Parkdale—High Park MP Arif Virani, London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos and Courtenay—Alberni MP Gord Johns.
Several of the constituency office vandalism incidents were linked to pro-Palestinian protests.
MP offices have also been the subject of disruptive and aggressive “sit in” protests.
Several MPs and ministers have also been harassed in public in recent years, including Mendicino.
Last month, he was confronted by a man in Ottawa who spat on him. He has said he’s also received “a barrage of death threats.”
Other federal politicians who have been subject to harassment while in public include NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
