The threats in the US, are pretty clear evidence that there could be a direct link between divisive rhetoric, and the threat of violence.
Pipe bombs mailed to several notable Democrats in the US, along with CNN, are all people or organizations criticized by President Donald Trump.
Then, you have to look no further than Queen's Park, and death threats against Premier Doug Ford and one of his ministers, for proof that that divisiveness is funnelling north.
But why? How did we get here?
Renon Lavigne, a teacher of US politics at the University of Toronto, says you have to look no further than the leaders.
"They tend to inspire supporters, and at the same time really antagonize their opponents."
He admits this sort of thing is not necessarity new, but we are seeing an escalation of rhetoric that highlights fear and anxiety. And he says spreding that message, may "put those things together and may feel like they should no longer allow those democratic processes to work."
In short, giving people the feeling "that they somehow have to take steps on their own."
Something has changed over the years.
"You used to be able to be possible to find liberal-Republicans and conservative-Democrats. But now, it's very tribal. It is Liberal-Democrats against Conservative-Republicans." says Lavigne.
But he says it's up to us to try and end all of this.
We need to "absolutely condemn, the level of rhetoric, the dogwhistles, the level of lies that we're seeing in contemporary politcs."
And that's something that Megan Boler, a proffessor at the U of T agrees with, but she says we need to act quickly as a country.
"Polarization between the right and the left in the United States, that we've been witnessing since 2016, is now being seen here in Canada."
She points to a scheduled November Monk Debate, where former Trump strategist Steve Bannon has been invited to participate, as evidence people in this country are accepting that sort of rhetoric.
"If Canadians are concerned about the state of democracy, we need to wake up now. It's almost too late."