Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin says online hate helped push her out of federal politics [Video]

Jenica Atwin is leaving federal politics for the “time being” in part because of the online hate she receives, saying the level of toxicity she’s had to face has been surprising.

The Fredericton member of Parliament was first elected in 2019 with the Green Party before crossing the aisle to join the Liberals in 2021. It was around the time she joined the party of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that she decided to close her X account “because it was actually harming my mental health.”

“Just the constant barrage, the vitriol, the threats, and I think women, in particular my female colleagues, we’ve got it on a different level than a lot of our male colleagues,” she said in a recent interview.

She knew that going into politics would make her a target of negative online comments, but the amount of vitriol she received took her by surprise. The hate-filled …