A Calgary MLA implored her colleagues in Alberta’s legislature to stand up against misogyny and hate speech as she rattled off a list of abusive comments she recently received through social media.“Traitorous bitch, you [are] the disgrace to Alberta,” Sandra Jansen quoted one comment in her speech to the house on Tuesday. Jansen announced last week that she was crossing the floor from the Conservative Party to the ruling left-leaning NDP, saying she could no longer align herself with the party’s stance on social issues.“Another useless tit goes NDP. Dead meat. Sandra should stay in the kitchen where she belongs,” continued Jansen, who has been assigned a government protection escort team in response to the threatening comments. Other insults include “dumb broad” and “a good place for her to be is with the rest of the queers.”She encouraged the province to fight back against harmful rhetoric that has been creeping into Alberta politics, and can dissuade women from entering politics at all. For years allegations of a toxic environment for women political leaders in Alberta have swirled, an example of which includes death threats launched at premier Rachel Notley.“Please oppose it. Don’t ignore it. Don’t look the other way. Don’t excuse it. Because our daughters are watching it,” concluded Jansen, who then received an extended standing ovation from members of all parties.Earlier this month, Jansen dropped out of the race for leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, citing other “bullying tactics” and harassment over her support for women’s right to choose. Another candidate in the race, Donna Kennedy-Glans, also dropped out of citing similar reasons, and said she couldn’t support the party’s ideology that had taken a sharp right turn.The part announced last week it was undertaking an independent review of Jansen’s and Kennedy-Glans’ allegations of abuse and harassment.“We will be getting to the bottom of this,” the party’s president, Katherine O’Neill, told reporters.
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