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Threats allegedly made against Prime Minister Mark Carney on social media have a Winnipeg man facing numerous charges.

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RCMP investigators said a 55-year-old man whom police declined to name allegedly posted multiple threats against the prime minister on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

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The accused’s comments, which also allegedly incited hatred against members of the Jewish and Muslim communities, sparked the RCMP to launch a national security investigation earlier this year.

Only identified by the RCMP as a 55-year-old male from Winnipeg, police said the accused was arrested last month and charged with three counts of uttering threats to cause death.

The accused is scheduled to appear in court next week, The Canadian Press reported.

Online threats against politicians increasing

Increasing anger online has resulted in a stark increase in threats made against Canadian politicians — particularly after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks.

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Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman found her constituency office in Thornhill vandalized with anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments in 2024, prompting her to become part of a growing number of politicians with police protection details.

Anti-Israel activists have also staged intimidation rallies outside the offices and private homes of several politicians, including Melanie Joly, Bill Blair, Arif Virani, Anita Anand and Chrystia Freeland.

Excluding the prime minister, the RCMP said in 2024 that it cost $2.5 million to provide police protection to parliamentarians in the latter three quarters of 2023.

That represented a 40% increase from the previous year.

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Justin Trudeau popular target for threats

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau was a popular target of threats, including a Montreal man charged in February 2024 for allegedly threatening to kill him, just weeks after a Quebec man pleaded guilty to publishing videos threatening to kill Trudeau and Quebec Premier Francois Legault.

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The man in that case, Germain Lemay, 30, also threatened to kill any police officer who attempted to enter his property and made threats against Quebec’s workplace health and safety board.

Lemay was shot and injured by Surete du Quebec officers in an attempt to arrest him the previous September.

In August 2024, a 33-year-old Ontario man was charged with two counts of uttering threats against Trudeau, the police and security personnel.

— With files from The Canadian Press.

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