The federal government says it’s offering private-sector security services to election candidates who feel intimidated or threatened but do not meet the threshold for police protection.
Candidates can apply to the security program, run by the Privy Council Office, if they have been threatened with harm or if they are experiencing intimidation tactics that hinder their campaigning.
Candidates may also be eligible if planned protests are causing them to feel threatened, or if their personal property has been vandalized.
The program offers what it calls “close protection” by an unarmed guard who would monitor the candidate’s surroundings, assess threats and take steps to manage risks.
The program also can provide an unarmed guard to monitor a candidate’s residence and report serious security incidents to police.
The government considers the program an additional layer of security and advises any candidate who feels threatened to contact local police immediately.
MPs have been followed on the street, harassed and subjected to death threats in recent years, and constituency offices have been vandalized.
The rise in the number and intensity of threats directed at public figures in Canada is a worrying trend, said Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary to the cabinet for communications and consultations.
“It is in Canada’s vital national interest that Canadians running for elected office feel safe,” she told a news conference Monday.
The new program is intended to complement other measures such as briefings for security-cleared representatives of political parties and a hotline operated by the Communications Security Establishment, Canada’s cyberspy agency, Kempton added.
