Harassment of politicians raising concerns about who will run for public office

“When you run for public office, you need to have a certain degree of expectation that there will be accountability,” Bond said. “And that often means hard questions. It means scrutiny and at times criticism. What you shouldn’t have to deal with are things like intimidation and bullying and harassment.”

Bond spent nearly two decades in provincial politics after beginning her political career locally. She says online harassment has become particularly troubling because people can attack politicians anonymously.

But she says the problem is no longer confined to the keyboard.

“The alarming thing is that the in-person situations are increasing as well,” Bond said. “So I think we need to be able to talk about how we have conversations about difficult issues from varying viewpoints without crossing into behavior that is intimidating or bullying.”

It’s a problem former District of Vanderhoof director Brian Frenkel hopes to address through an organization called Local Leaders for Mental Health.

Frenkel says harassment in politics has become significantly worse since 2020 and believes politicians themselves have a responsibility to change the tone of public debate.

“You cannot scream and yell at people or spit on them or call them racist names,” Frenkel said. “We as a society have to start doing better, and we’re in a horrible funk across the province where that is happening in municipal and provincial politics, and it has to stop.”

The Union of B.C. Municipalities is also developing an online mental health toolkit intended to provide local leaders with practical and confidential resources to help them deal with the pressures associated with holding public office.

Frenkel is particularly concerned about the treatment of women in politics.

“I feel that the women in politics in British Columbia, and probably Canada, take the brunt of all of the assaults, the racist hate, the spitting,” he said.

For Bond, the issue reaches beyond the personal impact on politicians. She worries the political climate is discouraging qualified people from putting their names forward in the first place.

“Who are we missing around the table, because they simply are not willing to take the risk that their family will be engaged, or their staff?” Bond said.

She understands that concern from personal experience.

“For me, it was both family that you wanted to protect, but also the people who work for you. They didn’t run for public office. You know, I did.”

That, Bond says, turns harassment into an issue for the democratic process. If people decide the personal risks of politics outweigh the opportunity to serve, voters potentially lose candidates and perspectives they might otherwise have had to choose from.

Frenkel believes governments may also need to examine whether additional legal consequences are required in serious cases, including the possibility of changes involving criminal law.

“We have to be able to make everyone responsible for their action,” he said, suggesting both federal and provincial governments may have roles to play.

Bond says existing legal tools should be used when behaviour crosses the line into serious threats.

“We do need to use legal tools when the threat is severe and significant,” she said. “We literally have to take action because that’s the only way we’re going to see it stop.”

But legislation and enforcement are only part of the answer.

Both Bond and Frenkel say political leaders need to set the example themselves rather than contributing to an increasingly hostile political climate.

For Bond, disagreement is an essential part of democracy. She recalls being a forceful advocate for northern British Columbia during her years in the legislature, including during the adversarial exchanges of Question Period. But she says political opponents can disagree strongly while still recognizing that people on the other side may have worthwhile ideas.

She would like to see politicians deliberately take a more collaborative approach and for members of the public to challenge abusive behaviour when they encounter it.

“If you see one of those comments, you know, as hard as it is to speak up or step up, do it,” Bond said.

She argues political debate does not have to become personal simply because the issues are contentious.

“Make sure you stand up and say, that’s not acceptable,” Bond said. “Our community, our province. We’re simply better than that.”

by Cheryl Jahn

Harassment of politicians raising concerns about who will run for public office

What's Trending