Public Safety Minister Vic Toews is facing new threats tonight after his privacy bill drew the ire of internet hacking group Anonymous.
"We will release what we have, unless you scrap this bill," threatened a video posted by Anonymous.
"If you do not, rest assured that public outrage will only grow, and you will soon find yourself not only mocked but jobless," the message continued.
Last week Toews introduced a bill to parliament that would allow police to obtain private information about users from internet service providers without a warrant.
The bill was aimed at child pornography, but critics warn the bill will give police too much power and could violate Canadians' privacy rights.
Since then, targeted attacks on Twitter have revealed salacious details of Toews' divorce, and hashtags have circulated that poked fun at Toews.
But the privacy bill and Toews aren't just facing an online backlash. In his home riding of Provencher, southeast Winnipeg, some constituents aren't impressed either.
"I'm hoping that it will teach him a lesson that he doesn't like [privacy violations], and we don't like it either," said Richard Desmarais, who lives in Toews' riding.
Toews said during debate in the House last week that anyone who opposed the law was supporting child pornographers.
"He had no right making a comment like that," said constituent Betty Rodway. "I guess that was off the top of his head, but as Canadians that's not true."
Others said despite their difficulty with what Toews has said and the proposed legislation, the threats are concerning.
"He brought it out the wrong way… [But] let's face it, there's no need for a backlash — it's a personal backlash against him," said Dan Janzen, another constituent.
And the backlash could be getting more serious. In a letter to constituents, Toews said he has been threatened.
"These attacks, which have included criminal acts and threats of criminal acts against me and my family have been referred to the police for investigation," Toews wrote in a statement to his constituents.
Rodway said, "That's shameful that you have to bring in the RCMP to protect the man and his family."
The Vic Toews controversy is not without its political barbs as well. The Conservatives have accused the opposition NDP of being behind the Vikileaks account -- an allegation the NDP denies.
- with a report from CTV's Jeff Keele
