By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On June 18, a group of elected representatives from all three levels of government in Ontario held a press conference to announce a new initiative called “Elect Respect.”
Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward took the podium first and introduced all of the politicians who were present.
“What you see here in front of you is a testament to what this pledge is all about,” Meed Ward said. “It is nonpartisan, we have members from two of the major political parties represented here, and all levels of government, from trustees, all the way to provincial, federal, regional, and city council members, because this issue affects all of us.”
Meed Ward described Elect Respect as “a campaign to protect and preserve democracy and an initiative to combat a toxic political culture.”
“This is about restoring civility, safety, and inclusion to our political discourse and in our decision making,” Meed Ward said.
The idea for Elect Respect took root at a Halton Elected Representatives (HER) meeting, where attendees shared stories about their experiences of harassment and threats as women in politics.
“The stories were heartbreaking, tragic, and scary, and this moved well beyond any legitimate debate about policy or different perspectives on the issues that we face,” Meed Ward said. “This was threats of physical violence and worse. So we, as women, said, ‘What can we do about this?’”
“After we got finished commiserating, shedding some tears and feeling frankly scared for our democracy, we got into action and said, ‘One thing we can do is lead by example,’” Meed Ward continued.
This resulted in a HER pledge, which was picked up by the Canadian Association of Feminist Parliamentarians and signed by everyone in attendance at the press conference, along with several MPs and senators from the last federal Parliament.
The group of women decided that they wanted various groups and demographics to be involved with the movement, including male politicians and members of the public, and thus, Elect Respect was born. The diverse group of politicians in attendance at the announcement for the initiative reflected that decision.
The recent assassination of a state representative in Minnesota is a stark example of toxic and dangerous politics south of the border, Meed Ward noted. An example closer to home is the fact that 800 municipal councillors in Quebec, or 10% of people elected to local office in 2021, have since quit, with toxic democracy being a repeatedly-cited reason for leaving their positions.
Meed Ward encouraged respect not only for those with whom you agree politically, but also for those with whom you may not see eye to eye.
“[We need to] speak up when we witness harassment or abuse,” Meed Ward said. “Call on appropriate authorities and agencies to intervene and take action when threats escalate.”
Prior to the press conference, Halton Regional Council unanimously endorsed a resolution committing to the pledge outlined by Elect Respect.
Meed Ward then passed the mic over to Pam Damoff, former MP for Oakville-North Burlington, who decided not to seek reelection this year due to threats and harassment towards her and her staff.
“She’s not somebody that just sits back, she takes action,” Damoff said of Meed Ward. “It’s actually scary the way that politicians are treating each other and the way the public is treating politicians.”
Damoff called out law enforcement to take threats towards politicians more seriously.
“I can’t tell you the number of times I reached out to the police with threats, and most of the time the comment I got back was, ‘What would you like us to do about it,’” Damoff said. “Well, I don’t know. You’re the police. [They would say] ‘Do you want us to call this individual?’ Well, yeah, actually I do. He’s threatened me or my staff, who also were subject to horrific abuse.”
Zee Hamid, MPP for Milton, spoke next and echoed Meed Ward’s comments about respecting those with whom we disagree.
“I realize that one of the things we do wrong as politicians is often when someone’s attacked within our own party, we’ll stand up for them, but across the party line, we don’t as much,” Hamid said. “And that’s something that those of us who are in partisan politics need to fix.”
“It’s not as bad as it is in the U.S., but it’s getting there,” Hamid added, warning that Canada is slowly importing the “ dehumanization of politicians” from the United States.
Meed Ward said that she felt that there was a noticeable shift in civility during the COVID-19 pandemic and shared a story of her own where a member of the public threatened to set her on fire if she attended a public meeting on a development application.
After that threat was made, Meed Ward was accompanied by a security guard for almost two months, which she believes made people more hesitant to approach her, something she said further corrodes democracy.
Brenda Agnew, HCDSB trustee for Burlington Wards 4 and 5, spoke about threats she faced due to her support for flying the Pride flag at HCDSB schools.
“That should never evoke threats to our family, that should never be met with [threats of] places in hell being kept for us, and we should not need to call the police or change security measures because we are voting on whether or not we are going to fly a Pride flag at our schools,” Agnew said.
To sign Elect Respect’s pledge and learn more about their mission, visit https://electrespect.ca/. The initiative invites all Canadians, not just politicians, to take a stand for respectful and inclusive public discourse.
