Wave of threats against MPs has RCMP protective unit stretched thin, assistant commissioner says

The head of the RCMP unit responsible for protecting politicians says her division needs to grow in order to address a rising tide of threats and harassment targeting MPs.

Michele Paradis, the RCMP assistant commissioner in charge of protective policing, told CBC News Network's that the number of MPs asking for protection has almost doubled since 2018.

«That spike has been something we've never seen before. Requests for protection have increased exponentially,» she told host David Cochrane on Thursday.

Earlier this week, the Globe and Mail reported that RCMP documents indicate the protective unit urgently needs to fill 235 positions.

Paradis said the unit is fully staffed and the number cited by the Globe and Mail is actually a projection of how much the unit needs to grow over the next five years.

«We need to grow. Right now, our staff is stretched,» she said.

«It's like an elastic band that's about to snap and that's just because of what we're seeing — an increase in threats.»

The recent assassination attempt targeting former U.S. president Donald Trump has forced the RCMP to examine how it protects Canadian politicians, Paradis said. She drew comparisons to the 2022 murder of former Japanese president Shinzo Abe.

«Every one of these [incidents], unfortunately, leads to us re-examining how we deliver our service, and of course we're going to be talking to our American counterparts,» she said.

Paradis said the RCMP is also looking to the recent U.K. election for lessons on how to protect politicians on the campaign trail. Canada is scheduled to hold a federal election in the fall of 2025.

«We're taking all of that in. We're assessing. We'll be providing all of the parties with security briefings as we go along, safety briefings.