Poilievre won't curb criticism of his rivals

But Tory leader worries about his family’s safety

- TONDA MACCHARLES AND RAISA PATEL

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he is concerned about threats against his family and at one point sought increased security which they received, but rejected any notion Monday that politicians should tone down criticism of their rivals.

Poilievre was among Canadian leaders who condemned political violence in the wake of the weekend shooting at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania which injured the former president, and left one spectator dead and two critically injured before the gunman was killed by police.

"We must win our political wars through words, not through violence," Poilievre said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, on Sunday by phone and condemned Saturday's "appalling assassination attempt," wished Trump well and expressed condolences to the shooting victims, according to a formal summary from the prime minister's office. Trudeau had no public events scheduled Monday.

In a pair of radio interviews two days after the shooting, which underscored the rising threats facing politicians, Poilievre was asked if he is ever concerned about his personal safety when out in public.

In the first interview with 640 AM, he said democracy entails "trade-offs" when politicians openly and publicly engage with voters, and it "unfortunately means we have to take some risks to be close to the people that we work for."

"We can have politicians who are behind four feet of glass who roll by in motorcades, but never shake hands with a real human being, and then we won't have a democracy.

"I guess there are wack jobs out there that could do something. We take all the precautions possible, but I have to talk to people and I'm not going to stop doing that."