Online personal attacks have forced a Region of Queens councillor out of municipal politics.
David Brown, who represents a rural municipal district, says his first term as councillor has been marred by unwarranted verbal abuse online and in person.
“I’m wholeheartedly in favour of people voicing their disagreements. It’s the tone of the disagreements and the way they voice them now, I’m just not interested in putting up with for another four years.”
Robert Huish, a Dalhousie University professor who studies civic and political engagement, told QCCR that while political toxicity is nothing new, it increased after Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president in 2016. He said social media also makes it easier for people to lash out.
