'We all have a role to play': Governor General Mary Simon speaks out against online hate and what can be done to fight it

Governor General Mary Simon is standing up against the online hate directed at her in the hopes of creating 'a world where true equity and respect are not the exception, but the norm.'

Governor General Mary Simon is standing up against the online hate directed at her in the hopes of creating “a world where true equity and respect are not the exception, but the norm.”

Simon told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an interview airing Sunday she wants to use her platform and her authority to create a larger dialogue around the pervasive and damaging issue of online hate.

Last month, the Governor General announced she would be closing her social media posts to comments in response to a torrent of negative rhetoric.

“In recent months we have witnessed an increase in abusive, misogynistic, and racist engagement on social media and online platforms, including a greater number of violent threats,” Simon’s team posted at the time.

Then, less than a month later, Simon released a video to mark International Women's Day, posting a slew of those hateful comments, along with a longer message about the impacts of online vitriol directed at women and girls in particular.

“I am speaking about this for others who cannot, for fear of reprisal or retribution,” Simon wrote. “But my hope is that others will join me. We must continue to speak about the repercussions of harmful discourse, and to push back against those who would denigrate women for their contributions.”

Simon writes that she “respectfully disagrees” with the notion that women and girls should develop a “thick skin” when it comes to online hate, never mind the idea that for women in positions of authority, “online abuse is part of the role.”