On January 7, 28-year-old James Twigg allegedly made a phone call to local Member of Parliament, Eric Duncan, in which he threatened the MP’s life. Twigg had previously been charged with sending a text message on August 23 of last year in which he threatened to kill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
For the earlier charge, Twigg was released on the conditions that he continue to reside in his Cornwall home, not possess any weapons, and attend an appointment with the Canadian Mental Health Association. He completed a diversion program and entered a 12 month peace bond, with a court date set for April 15 to enter a plea.
The peace bond was cancelled on February 1, the day after Twigg was arrested for the threat to MP Duncan. It was replaced with a different release order which put Twigg back out on the streets that same day – February 1. He is scheduled to appear in court by video on March 7, and is still scheduled to appear in court in person on April 15.
It is almost certainly no coincidence that on February 1, the announcement was made that MP Duncan’s Cornwall constituency office was temporarily closed until further notice due to a “serious security issue”, corresponding with the release of the Cornwall man who allegedly threatened MP Duncan’s life. The MP released the following statement regarding the closure:
“On Feb. 1, in consultation with the House of Commons’ Sergeant-at-Arms and the Cornwall Police Service, my Cornwall constituency office was temporarily closed until further notice due to a serious security issue. While I am unable to provide further information about the security concern, I want to express my gratitude to all those who have helped address this situation.”
MP Duncan’s other constituency offices, including his Winchester satellite office located inside the Township building, remained open. MP Duncan is a North Dundas native who was elected as a North Dundas Councillor in 2006 when he was just 18 years old. He was elected as North Dundas Mayor in 2010, and acclaimed for a second term in 2014. At age 25, he became the youngest Warden in the history of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry. He was elected to federal parliament as Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MP in 2019, and was re-elected in 2021.
