B.C. cabinet minister says she's 'fortunate' to have received just half a dozen death threats

National Post

a day ago

VANCOUVER — British Columbia infrastructure minister says in her eight years as a member of the legislature, she can recall receiving about half a dozen death threats, and considers herself 'pretty fortunate' as a provincial politician.
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Bowinn Ma says she knows it's strange to say, but she is aware of other elected officials who have been the subject of many more such threats.
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Ma's comments come after an explosive blasted open the front door of her North Vancouver constituency office last week, setting off an RCMP investigation.
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No one was hurt and police are saying little about a motive or suspects, but Ma says she won't be intimidated from continuing her work and serving the community.
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However, Ma says that she is worried about the lasting implications such a threat can have 'on the way that politicians serve.'
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When Ma was first elected, she says she took over a former member's office and tore down a security wall that went across the room to make it more welcoming, but now says she'll work with a Legislature security team for a threat assessment and ongoing safety advice.
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But Ma says she is worried the blast can feed into a feeling among elected officials and the public that politicians are being more 'frequently targeted.'
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'I worry that will drive elected officials further away from these kinds of open approaches, and that's not a criticism of elected officials. I mean, they've got to do what they need to do to keep themselves and their staff safe, but we also lose out as a democratic society when that happens.'
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Ma says Mounties told her that 'there is no indication of a repeat event' and an investigation is ongoing.
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At the same time, Ma says she encourages anyone passionate about running for office not to be deterred.
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