Liberal MP Pam Damoff testified at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs Thursday Conservative MPs are to blame for condemning comments Canadians have said about her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Damoff (Oakville North-Burlington) testified she and her staff have received thousands of derogatory and "misogynist" emails, calls, and on social media posts since she took office at the beginning of Trudeau's tenor in 2015. “The toxic drive for social media likes and clips among elected officials has hindered constructive conversations," said Damoff.“F*** Trudeau, F*** you. You’re going to jail for what you’ve done,” said one Canadian, according to the MP. “God will make sure you’re exposed on judgment day. Judgment is here. The hellfire God has waiting for you will burn you,” said another. She said she was also told she's a "sad excuse an as MP and a worse excuse as a Canadian.”Damoff on May 1 announced she would not be running for re-election, citing these threatening messages. “The tone and tenor of public discourse has deteriorated so significantly and to such a degree, that I fear the loss of trust in public institutions. Driven by misinformation and lies being spread by politicians on social media, I worry about the outcome of this for our democracy," said Damoff. “Members of Parliament must understand that they drive and exasperate harassment, abuse, and threats received by other MPs when they share misinformation and lies and make personal attacks against other members." The only concrete example of this bullying on the part of the Tories Damoff offered was in 2018 when Conservative Rachel Thomas allegedly sent out flyers in Damoff's riding that said she fails to stand up for victims of rape and sex trafficking and chooses ISIS over women and girls. She did not elaborate. After that the MP spoke much more generally about the hurtful approach Conservatives have employed. “We often hear Conservative MPs carelessly and baselessly using terms like 'corrupt' and 'treason' in parliament and in their social media posts," she said. Damoff named Conservative MPs Michael Barrett, Michael Cooper, Larry Brock and Damien Kurek for accusing government members of the ethics committee as being “corrupt” and involved in a “coverup” on behalf of Trudeau. She complained these MPs posted her email address on social media and she received a mountain of emails critical of her performance as MP. As a result, she had to create a “misogyny” folder in her email inbox, she said. People swore at her and called her names, asked how she could sleep at night and made some low remarks about her former husband. She was called “treasonous” and a “criminal” responsible for the “destruction” of the country. “Your beloved boss is going to stand in front of the Nuremberg tribunals, as should all of you. You disgusting, pathetic, Satan-worshiping humans, and you’re all finished,” someone wrote.“You’re an arrogant elite and unhinged b**** you’re going to rot in maximum security when the revolution comes. I suggest you step down now while you can, traitor," wrote someone else, she said. The RCMP says these remarks don’t cross the line enough to do anything. Liberal MP Iqra Khalid testified during the same meeting she has been called a “terrorist” and claimed “MPs create, for me in particular, life-threatening situations.”In 2017, she tabled a motion to combat Islamophobia and systemic racism. Due to this motion, Conservative MPs at the time warned Canadians she was trying to bring Islam’s violent Sharia law into the country.Those contending for the Tory leadership race at the time “through the use of alt-right media to legitimize a concept that I was bringing in Sharia law into the country," said Khalid, adding this claim was spread across the country and she received “death threats” as a result and more than 90,000 related emails. She also said she was doxxed (her private home address disclosed) on a radio talk show as an open invitation to ‘go kill her.’”“The politics of agitation is not helpful to how we conduct ourselves as Canadians and as parliamentarians," she said. “It is harassment. And we need to do something about it. Many Conservative members, not all of them, including the now leader of the opposition, have done similar things to target individual members of parliament. To bully and harass into silence.” She blamed these actions of Tory MPs as to why “communities are divided more than ever.” Tory MP Michelle Rempel Garner (Calgary Nosehill) agreed no MP or any Canadian should be subjected to this “unacceptable language.” “I think that’s something we can all agree on. I think the question now is, how do we move forward," said Rempel Garner. “As a member of the opposition, it is my job to hold the government to account. So when I come into the House of Commons sometimes, and I've asked the prime minister questions, I’ll state a fact that is in a report, and then he’ll stand up in the House of Commons and say that I’m ‘spreading misinformation.’”“You've said that we need to allow for room for legitimate criticism of the government. But how can we do that when he have a prime minister who stands up over and over again, and many of the ministries as well, when there’s a legitimate concern — rather than defending the policy, it’s just ‘that’s misinformation,’ ‘Conservatives are spreading misinformation.'”Rempel Garner asked if either the Liberal MPs had ever filed a police report about Conservative MPs harassing them, and the answer was no. She then asked if they were "suggesting the Liberal party hasn't made statements that have agitated people in the past.""I think every MP needs to look at what they've done, Michelle," replied Damoff.Rempel Garner emphasized if the conversation was going to move forward towards solutions, "we can't pretend one party is above scrutiny."
