HALIFAX — A Nova Scotia constituency assistant who faced a violent attack at work is calling for government funding of a second employee at legislators' offices to counter the aggression front-line workers face at politicians' workplaces.
Kelly Gomes said in an interview Thursday that on Dec. 14 a man whom she had assisted over the past four years entered her constituency office and held her by the throat against a hallway wall.
She said she fears she might have been further harmed if it hadn't been for the presence of a teenage student who was doing a work term at the office of Brendan Maguire, the Liberal member of the legislature for Halifax Atlantic.
"I think the only reason he did stop was because the student was calling the police, so I think it could have ended very badly if we didn't have someone else in the office," said Gomes, who plans to retire in a few months.
The man released his grip after the student threatened to call police, but the man then threw an air purifier, knocked over a Christmas tree, smashed pictures and upended a desk before departing, Gomes said. The public prosecution service said in an email that a 47-year-old man has been charged with assault and mischief in relation to the incident.
Neither door locks nor panic buttons can protect constituency assistants in many situations, Gomes said, adding that the best solution is for the province to fund a second worker in the offices of all 55 members.
"I think having someone else in the office really is the best solution," she said. "We have no protection and most of the time the constituency assistants are working on their own. I'm probably by myself in the office 95 per cent of the time."
Derek Mombourquette, the Liberal Party's house leader, said in an interview that on Jan. 24 he will present his party's position to the legislature's management commission about the added funding. He said he will argue the assistants have been facing major workload increases, along with rising safety risks.
"What we're hearing from MLAs in communities across the province is that this is an important investment that the government can make. It's one that will keep people safe," he said.
The member for Sydney Membertou said he's noticed a rise in aggression among citizens over the past decade, as public discussion has increasingly taken place on social media.
"This is the environment we're now operating in," he said, adding that he's received death threats online.
Tense moments have been reported in provincial constituency offices elsewhere in Canada in recent years.
The Toronto office of Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles was vandalized in October, one day after she removed MPP Sara Jama from caucus over comments Jama had made on social media about the Israel-Hamas war.
In Manitoba, Adrien Sala, an NDP member of the legislature for St. James and now minister of finance, has said police had to be called in January 2022 when a man came to his office demanding a meeting and being physically intimidating.
At roughly the same time, the Manitoba legislature's management committee carried out a review that determined it was "essential to provide additional funding for additional allowances in order to ensure that MLAs have an adequate level of security in carrying out their duties."
In Nova Scotia, the Speaker's office has informed members of the legislature's management commission that the approximate annual cost for a second staff person in all 55 constituency offices would be between $4 million and $4.5 million per year.
Deputy premier Allan MacMaster didn’t dismiss the need to make constituency offices safer, but told reporters Thursday he wondered about the optics of providing more funding for extra help when many people are struggling with the cost of living.
“There’s no question having more than one person would make things safer, but there’s also other ways you can make an office safer, and probably a lot less costly ways," he said. "Safety is important, but increasing budgets for constituency offices at a time like we are going through right now, I don’t think that would send a good signal to the public."
NDP Leader Claudia Chender noted that MacMaster was “honest and transparent” in his answer, but she added that she disagrees with the government’s concern over public perception that giving more financing to constituency offices is “enriching MLAs.”
“That is absolutely not the case,” Chender said. “The constituency office budgets are very tightly regulated … and they are used to serve the public, so I certainly hope the (management) commission takes a long hard look at that proposal.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2024.
— With files by Keith Doucette in Halifax and Steve Lambert in Winnipeg.
Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press
