The independent candidate of Battle River-Crowfoot, Sarah Spanier, says she is ready to return to the public campaign after a flood of hostile comments led her to stop the doors.
Last week, RCMP said that several candidates who played next month in driving reported having received negative comments and sometimes “potentially threatening” on social media platforms in recent weeks.
At that time, Spanier shared some screenshots with the CBC news of several comments from social networks, one of which declared that Spanier “[is] An ignorant pig and prayer [she gets] Destroyed, “while another wrote that Spanier reached her door, she” will regret it. “
Spanier had said that he thought that rhetoric became especially aggressive after publicly declaring their support for transgender people.
But now, Spanier said he feels safe enough to campaign again.
“The RCMP has been in regular communication with me, what has been fantastic. I have seen them drive out of my house. They stopped and said Hello, they have definitely released their presence,” Spanier said. “This is beyond what I expected.”
Spanier added that there were no more “credible threats” for their safety. She said she will now have some personal security support with her, but that she will return to public campaigns.
“I’m very excited about that,” he said. “It’s good to know that there are people who are willing to help.”
The matter remains under investigation, said a spokesman on Tuesday. In a previous statement, RCMP said that while Canadians “have the right to express their opinions, even those critics with political figures, threats or comments that cross the line in criminal conduct will take seriously.”
More than 200 on the ballot
Spanier is one of the more than 200 candidates that are executed together with the leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre, most of which are defenders of the electoral reform known as the longest voting committee. Spanier is not part of that group.
Darcy Spady, the liberal candidate in the partial election, said he had had positive interactions with people in driving while campaigning.
“I think it’s a bit sad that we have to have a [RCMP release] Like this. But this is what it is. People have strong opinions, “Spady said Wednesday.” We want a dialogue, but people cannot move to the threat zone. “
Even so, he said he thought the emission threats represented a small group.
“I have been told some interesting words, but in general, it has been quite good,” he said.
Bonnie Critchley, another independent candidate who runs at riding, previously published a video about Tiktok responding to media reports on driving threats.
“Honestly, it’s not a thing … Do people say bad things about me online? Well, yes, it is the age of the keyboard warrior, “Critchley said.” But there have been no death threats. “
His campaign did not immediately respond to a comment request on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, some members of the longest voting committee have raised concern about the alleged harassment in recent days.
Jayson Cowan, candidate at Battle River-Cootfoot affiliated with the Committee, said he recently received a threatening phone call.
“It was basically threatening in nature, that he would go after my employer, I would discover who my employer is, to go after him, to go after all those I know,” he said. “It’s not a fun day.”
A Poilievre spokesman did not respond to a comment request on Wednesday. The BYS choice is scheduled for August 18.
