The federal government says that it is offering private sector security services to electoral candidates who feel intimidated or threatened but do not comply with the police protection threshold.
Candidates can request the security program, led by the Private Council office, if they have been threatened with damage or if they experience intimidation tactics that hinder their campaign.
Candidates can also be eligible if planned protests are making them feel threatened, or if their personal property has been destroyed.
The program offers what it calls “near protection” by a disarmed guard that would monitor the candidate’s environment, evaluate threats and take measures to manage the risks.
The program can also provide a disarmed guard to monitor the residence of a candidate and inform serious security incidents to the police.
The Government considers the program an additional security layer and advises any candidate who feels threatened to contact the local police immediately.
The parliamentarians have been followed in the street, harassed and subjected to death threats in recent years, and the circumscription offices have been destroyed.
The increase in the number and intensity of the threats aimed at public figures in Canada is a worrying trend, said Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary of the Cabinet for Communications and Consultations.
“It is the vital national interest of Canada that Canadians who run for the elected office feel safe,” he told a press conference on Monday.
The new program is intended to complement other measures, such as reports for representatives of political parties and a direct line operated by the communications security establishment, the Canadian cyber agency, Kempton added.
