Alberta MLA posts veiled threat against Justin Trudeau then takes it down

United Conservative MLA Shane Getson is facing backlash after he made a veiled threat towards Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland MLA posted a photo on Facebook which read “I need you to take Trudeau to the train station,” a reference to the TV show “Yellowstone” which means to kill someone and hide their body.

Backlash after an #Alberta MLA posts a veiled threat against PM Justin Trudeau. Shane Getson says he didn't know his post was a reference to TV show Yellowstone which means to kill someone. He has since taken the post down. #cdnpoli #abpoli #ableg — FULL: https://t.co/OdEGVKmEBq pic.twitter.com/6zcGvWzHMp

— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) May 31, 2022

“I think it’s a sign of how overheated political rhetoric has become these days. I think here in Canada, we like to think of ourselves as above the more toxic political rhetoric we see in the U.S., but my feeling is that kind of toxicity is just lurking below the surface and it’s not going to take much of a poke to bring it out,” Clive Veroni, president of Leap Consulting, told CityNews.

“It creates a toxic environment where people now think it’s okay to make threats against the prime minister and other elected officials. We’ve seen those ‘F’ signs all over the place — ‘F Trudeau’ — we’ve seen recently somebody carrying makeshift gallows with a noose on it that says traitor and Trudeau.”

Here's the part in Yellowstone where John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, calls for someone to be taken to the train station (Source: Yellowstone/Youtube): pic.twitter.com/FiBzx5l8hX

— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) May 31, 2022

In a statement to CityNews, Timothy Gerwing, Communications Director for the United Conservative caucus says that Getson didn’t know that the quote was in reference to killing someone and has since taken it down.

“When MLA Getson learned of the meaning behind this photo, he removed it immediately. While he is very concerned about the Trudeau government’s treatment of Alberta, he does not condone messages like this,” he added.

Despite that, Veroni says the damage is done.

“Even if he didn’t understand what it meant, there were plenty of other people who did understand what it meant, and probably read the other meaning into that statement,” Veroni said.

“Toxic language empowers and legitimatizes toxic behaviour, and those two things are linked. That’s why we need to tamp down this toxic rhetoric and bring it under control, because ultimately it will lead to toxic behaviour and that will not be good for our political system, it will certainly not be good for our political leaders.”

That sentiment is shared by political scientist Lori Williams who says these sorts of posts encourage more anger, resentment, and violence.

READ MORE:

• What does a UCP without Jason Kenney mean for Alberta?

• Alberta’s economy seems to be rebounding, what it means for you

• No changes coming to Alberta abortion, birth control access: UCP

  ---

“When it looks like there might be a veiled threat of violence, not only does that not contribute to political debate, it actually worsens the tone, it is likely to stir up anger, and we’ve seen that anger can sometimes get out of hand and create significant problems,” Williams said.

“I don’t think it’s the responsible thing for an elected official to be engaging in this sort of veiled language and implied threatening language.”

Meanwhile, the Alberta New Democrats are condemning Getson’s post.

“At a time when many communities are grappling with how to stop rising violence, UCP MLA Shane Getson is calling for more,” Justice Critic Irfan Sabir told CityNews in a statement.

“These threats of violence from MLA Getson are unacceptable and our Caucus categorically condemns them. I invite the premier and all those who seek to lead to join us in condemning MLA Getson’s actions.”