Canada police charge 2 for uttering death threats against PM, other politicians News
Jamie McCaffrey from Ottawa, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Canada police charge 2 for uttering death threats against PM, other politicians

Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced on Monday that it arrested and charged Mason John Baker and Garry Belzevick for uttering death threats against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other politicians contrary to section 264.1(1)(a) of the Criminal Code. Section 264.1(1)(a) makes it an offence for anyone to knowingly utter, convey or cause any person to receive a threat of death or bodily harm.

Baker, a 23-year-old resident of Calgary, was charged for allegedly posting death threats against Trudeau on X (formerly Twitter). Belzevick, a 67-year-old resident of Calgary, was charged with three counts for allegedly posting death threats against Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and New Democrat Party leader Jagmeet Singh on YouTube. Baker and Belzevick are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.

Acting officer in charge of the RCMP Federal Policing Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), Northwest Region Matthew Johnson stated:

In the digital age, where so many interactions occur online and are perceived to be anonymous, there is a belief that virtual actions and words do not have consequences. When these virtual actions or words cross the boundaries of Charter-protected speech and constitute criminal activity, police will investigate thoroughly to hold those responsible accountable.

Both cases are investigated by the RCMP Federal Policing INSET, which is a unit made up of multi-agency teams tasked with addressing national security threats, such as criminal activities of terrorist groups, in Canada.

There has been a notable increase in threats against politicians in Canada in recent years. House of Commons sergeant-at-arms and corporate security officer Patrick McDonell said this year that harassment targeting members of Parliament increased by almost 800 percent in five years. Former public safety minister Marco Mendicino also called for “protective zones” to be established to protect members of Parliament from threatening behavior. In 2020, an armed man breached the grounds of Rideau Hall, where Trudeau lived. In 2022, Freeland was verbally accosted in Alberta, Canada. The incident was widely condemned by political leaders.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Congress passed legislation establishing post-WWII national security structure

On July 25, 1947, the National Security Act of 1947 was passed, establishing a linkage between the military and national security, and setting up the National Security Council (NSC), the CIA, the Department of Defense, and several other new agencies, including the National Military Establishment with three separate departments (the Army, the Navy and the new US Air Force), and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Learn more about the National Security Act of 1947.

Brunswick Manifesto proclaimed

On July 25, 1792, the Brunswick Manifesto was proclaimed by Charles William Ferdinand, the Duke of Brunswick during the French Revolutionary Wars. As leader of the forces allied against France, Ferdinand promised retribution against the citizens of Paris if the French Royal Family was harmed. Instead, the Manifesto further inflamed anti-royal sentiment in Paris.