The biggest contributor to the rise in incivility is the growth in social media.  In the old days, one would have to take the time and effort to write a letter, put a stamp on it, and post it.  But now, it is virtually costless in time & money to express a sentiment, including angry & threatening ones.  As well, we see that when one person posts a nasty comment then others are likely to follow.

The good news, though, is that actual acts of violence against politicians (and against the broader society) have declined.  Here in Alberta, the last actual act of violence against a politician was when a protestor threw a pie at Ralph Klein.

RCMP should continue to investigate any serious threats (such as the ones made to Michelle Rempel), but we need to keep this in perspective.