Jenica Atwin is leaving federal politics for the B次元官网网址渢ime beingB次元官网网址� in part because of the online hate she receives, saying the level of toxicity sheB次元官网网址檚 had to face has been surprising.

The Fredericton member of Parliament was first elected in 2019 with the Green Party before crossing the aisle to join the Liberals in 2021. It was around the time she joined the party of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that she decided to close her X account B次元官网网址渂ecause it was actually harming my mental health.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淛ust the constant barrage, the vitriol, the threats, and I think women, in particular my female colleagues, weB次元官网网址檝e got it on a different level than a lot of our male colleagues,B次元官网网址� she said in a recent interview.

She knew that going into politics would make her a target of negative online comments, but the amount of vitriol she received took her by surprise. The hate-filled messages on social media and in emails increased in 2022, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when thousands of truckers and other people occupied Parliament Hill during the convoy protests against vaccine mandates and other restrictions imposed by government.

During the protests, AtwinB次元官网网址檚 office regularly received B次元官网网址渉ate callsB次元官网网址� from people in Canada and the United States. She said that B次元官网网址渁ny timeB次元官网网址� she would speak in the House of Commons, B次元官网网址渋t would follow with a flood of these hateful messages and voice mails being left or things my team had to sift through, sometimes, again, actual threats that we had to follow up on with police.B次元官网网址�

The hate she received included bomb threats, threats of sexual violence, and other verbal abuse. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very bizarre stuff that people are feeling somehow emboldened enough to type and send.B次元官网网址�

Such constant hate and insults B次元官网网址渃hip awayB次元官网网址� at peopleB次元官网网址檚 resiliency and take a toll on mental health, she said, adding that her parents, siblings and husband would get upset seeing vitriol about her online.

But it isnB次元官网网址檛 just her and other female colleagues who face such toxicity. She said she also worries about the effect the hate has had on the prime minister and his family. B次元官网网址淢y goodness, the prime minister B次元官网网址� he bore the brunt of it all,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淚 worry for his children. Anyone associated with him. HeB次元官网网址檚 made the comment to us before, those B次元官网网址淔B次元官网网址�- TrudeauB次元官网网址� flags B次元官网网址� Trudeau, thatB次元官网网址檚 the name of his children, too. His kids have really picked up on that.B次元官网网址�

In Quebec, following a wave of resignations of elected officials, the provincial government introduced legislation last year that includes fines up to $1,500 for people who threaten or intimidate politicians.

Chris Tenove, assistant director at University of British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 centre for the study of democratic institutions, said online hate speech has increased over the past decade, influenced by U.S. politics.

B次元官网网址淚 think the COVID-19 pandemic and some of the political and cultural clashes over it exacerbated polarization in politics, and that has played out as having more online abuse of politicians,B次元官网网址� he said.

While there isnB次元官网网址檛 rigorous research on whether women face more online hate than men, or whether certain political parties are targeted more than others, there are patterns, Tenove said. People who are in the public eye, politicians, people with large followings on social media are all at risk of getting more hatred than those who are less visible, he said.

Online abuse toward women politicians takes a B次元官网网址済endered form,B次元官网网址� he noted. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e either being dismissive of women because of their gender, or if theyB次元官网网址檙e being threatening, itB次元官网网址檚 more likely to be sexually threatening.B次元官网网址�

Tenove said some politicians can manage high levels of abuse and hostility, while others are more sensitive.

B次元官网网址淭hey find that over time, the continual hostile and negative messaging that theyB次元官网网址檙e getting undermines their mental, their emotional resilience and their interest in continuing to serve in this public-facing role, it also makes it harder for people to do their jobs, and including to run for office or to engage (with) their constituents.B次元官网网址�

For the time being, Atwin said she will spend more time with her family, especially with her two sons, ages seven and 12.

She hopes that online hate begins to fade soon, and people start to understand that disagreements should be aired respectfully.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not like we can just put an algorithm on these sites and eliminate any of the hate speech or vitriol. ThatB次元官网网址檚 not the answer, right? So itB次元官网网址檚 not really clear-cut. ItB次元官网网址檚 got to be a societal shift,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no real silver bullet to how to do that.B次元官网网址�