Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino holds a news conference in the foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – The federal government is looking at whether to expand security protection to cabinet ministers as more of them express concern for their safety and that of their families.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino would not discuss the idea Wednesday but said the “threat landscape” for parliamentarians and staff is worrisome.
A senior government source confirmed that a funding request has been made to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to help the RCMP dedicate additional officers to the VIP protection service.
There are dedicated security details the Governor General and the prime minister, but other cabinet ministers only receive protection on specific occasions or in response to specific concerns.
Mendicino’s mandate letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2021 instructs him to work on bolstering security of both ministers and MPs.
Families Minister Karina Gould says she has needed RCMP protection a few times and the threats are far worse now than they were when she was first elected eight years ago.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.
