OTTAWA - Catherine McKenna, the former environment minister, has detailed the harassment and threats she faced during her political career in her upcoming memoir, "Run Like a Girl." McKenna served as the Liberal MP for Ottawa Centre from 2015 to 2021, holding cabinet positions as environment minister and later as minister of infrastructure.

In her book, set to be released next week, McKenna recounts a troubling escalation of abuse she endured, which began with online harassment and grew to include in-person confrontations. She describes how federal security agencies initially denied her protection and refused to share their risk assessment with her.

"Many of the tweets were violent," McKenna writes, noting that some messages threatened her family and included disturbing imagery. She recalls a meme depicting a Barbie doll being crushed by a sledgehammer and another with the phrase, "Tick Tock, Barbie Bitch."

McKenna also shares incidents where strangers harassed her in public. Men appeared outside her home, taking selfies and posting videos online. One man verbally assaulted her and her children while filming them outside a movie theater. After the 2019 election, her constituency office was vandalized with graffiti containing derogatory language.

In August 2020, a man entered her office and verbally attacked her staff while recording the incident. Although her staff reported the encounter to the RCMP, they did not receive a follow-up. Frustrated, McKenna contacted the Ottawa Police, who initiated an investigation. She then urged the Prime Minister's Office to convene a meeting regarding the security of Members of Parliament.

"I said, 'We’re not doing this anymore. I’m on my own with my kids, and I’ve got some guy screaming at my staff and he’s looking for me. It’s time the people responsible for my safety took it seriously,'" she wrote.

During the meeting, McKenna felt ignored as security agencies shifted responsibility for her safety. The RCMP informed her that they only provided security when they identified a significant risk. McKenna demanded her risk assessment, which they refused to disclose, citing security clearances.

"If anything happens to me or my family, I’m holding all of you responsible," she recalls telling the agencies. She expressed her anger over their lack of action, emphasizing that the man harassing her staff was known to the Ottawa Police.

Eventually, the RCMP increased security measures for ministers, including McKenna. She noted that former defense minister Harjit Sajjan also faced similar issues regarding access to his risk assessment.

The RCMP has not commented on McKenna's allegations. Currently, only the prime minister and governor general receive round-the-clock security from the RCMP's VIP protection branch. However, some cabinet ministers and prominent opposition MPs have begun to receive security details in recent years.

In 2024, the RCMP reported a budget increase for protecting parliamentarians, rising to $2.5 million from April to December 2023, a significant jump from previous years.

McKenna wrote her memoir to inspire young women and encourage them to feel supported in politics. She acknowledged that some friends and family questioned the appeal of a political career after reading her experiences.

"The security situation involving politicians is not OK. And what I went through, the reason I tell this is because it was bonkers, and we need to do better," McKenna stated. She highlighted that many women in politics, at all levels, face extreme threats both online and offline, a situation she believes most Canadians would not accept.