Rachel Notley assassination chatter 'needs to stop,' Wildrose leader says as Bill 6 anger mounts

Numerous Albertansupset over the NDP government's passage of controversial farm-safety legislation have beenopenly talking onlineabout assassinating Premier Rachel Notleyand the head of the official opposition says it needs to stop.

"These kinds of comments cross all bounds of respect and decency and have absolutely no place in our political discourse," Wildrose Leader Brian Jean wrote in a Facebook post Friday morning.

"This is not how Albertans behave."

• Bill 6 passes 3rd and final reading in Alberta Legislature
• Bill 6 opposition continues in southern Alberta

His comments came in response to numerousFacebookmessages posted publicly on Thursdayby people apparently upset by the government's approval of Bill 6, which extends occupational health and safety rules and workers compensation coverage to paidfarm workers in the province.

"Someone's gotta man up and kill her," one person posted on the CTV Lethbridge Facebookpage, suggesting in a subsequent post to"put a pitchfork through [Notley's]neck."

"Maybe we need to go back to the old west and just shoot her already," another person added.

The Alberta RCMP tweeted a response on Friday, saying, "We have received a number of posts regarding comments posted online about public figures. Thank you for your concern."

Cpl. Hal Turnbull noted the premier has her own protection detail, which is overseen by Alberta Sheriffs, and said he's not aware of any request from her office for RCMP assistance with respect to anger over Bill 6 or these specific online comments.

"It's not uncommonfor the premier's office, through the Alberta Sheriffs, the Edmonton Police Service and the RCMP to work together collaboratively to investigate these matters and determine the credibility of these threats,"Turnbulladded.

Notley has no further comment

Notley's press secretarysaid Friday the premier had nothing more to sayon the matterbeyond what she said on Thursdaywith respect to online threats against another member of her caucus.

Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd wept openly in the legislature on Thursday as she described threats and intimidation she said she experienced fromAlbertans angry about Bill 6.

Marg McCuaig-Boyd emotional over Bill 6 threats

9 years ago

Duration 2:42

The NDP MLA cabinet minister said she has been cyberbullied and threatened over the farm safety bill

Speaking to reporters afterward, Notley described those threats as the "regrettable actions" of "a very small group of people opposed to Bill 6 who took their opposition too far."

She also pledged her government would continue meeting and speaking with Albertans to craft the specific regulations that will apply to farms in the province under the new legislation.

"We will do so with opponents who are angry or not angry because that's what good governance looks like."

Previous death threats

It's not the first time Notley has been the subject of assassination chatter online.

Back in October, the RCMP said it was aware of people in a Facebook group named "Out the NDP in Alberta" talking about killing the premier.

Insp. Gibson Glavinwould not say at the time whether theRCMP was investigating the posts as uttering threats.

Here is thefull postfromBrian Jean: