A Calgary man has been charged after the RCMP says a YouTube account posted threats to kill Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team received information about the alleged threats on July 28, 2026.
Investigators subsequently arrested Jamie Dacosta, 31, of Calgary, with assistance from the Calgary Police Service.
Dacosta is charged with uttering a threat to cause death under section 264.1(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
Dacosta remains in custody
The RCMP says Dacosta remains in custody and was scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on September 15.
Police did not say when Dacosta was arrested. The RCMP release did not include an outcome from his scheduled September 15 court appearance.
The RCMP also did not identify the YouTube account or disclose the specific words allegedly posted.
What the charge means
Section 264.1 of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to knowingly utter, convey or cause someone to receive a threat to cause death or bodily harm.
When the allegation involves death or bodily harm, the Crown can prosecute the charge by indictment, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years, or by summary conviction.
The offence does not require proof that the accused intended to carry out the threat. Courts assess whether the words, viewed objectively, would convey a threat of death or serious harm to a reasonable person, and whether they were meant to be taken seriously or to intimidate.
The existence of a criminal charge does not mean Dacosta has been found guilty. The Crown must prove the allegation in court.
Why a national security team is involved
The investigation was led by the RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, commonly called INSET.
INSET teams bring together federal, provincial and municipal police agencies to investigate potential threats connected to national security and protected public officials.
The Calgary Police Service assisted the RCMP with this investigation.
INSET's involvement does not mean Dacosta faces a terrorism or national-security charge. The only charge announced by the RCMP is uttering a threat under the Criminal Code.
The RCMP handles threats against the Prime Minister
Threats against the Prime Minister fall to the RCMP rather than a municipal police service.
The force is responsible for protective policing in Canada, a mandate covering the Prime Minister, the Governor General, cabinet ministers, visiting dignitaries and designated sites. Investigating threats against those individuals is part of that responsibility.
That's why a Calgary case involving a Calgary resident was led by a federal team, with the local police service assisting rather than the other way around.
What police have not disclosed
Police have not released the words allegedly posted, identified the YouTube account, or disclosed a suspected motive.
The RCMP also has not said whether the alleged threat appeared in a video, a description or a comment.
No additional charges have been announced.
The wider context in Calgary
The RCMP has not disclosed a motive in this case, and nothing in its release connects the alleged threat to any current political issue.
It does land during a period when political tensions in Alberta have been unusually visible.
Albertans vote on October 19 in a province-wide referendum that includes a question on whether to remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a binding vote on independence. Canada's counter-tariffs against the United States took effect on September 8, after months of escalating trade conflict.
Both have produced incidents involving individuals rather than governments.
On September 3, Calgary police charged a 49-year-old man after an alleged threat to get a shotgun during an argument about tariffs at a Woodbine Safeway. Police said the man made comments about tariffs and began shouting anti-Canadian and pro-American remarks before allegedly threatening a man shopping with his wife and child. Our coverage is here.
In late August, a Calgary home flying American flags and Trump banners was egged and had bagged dog excrement thrown onto the property, with some people posting online about torching it. The homeowners are Americans who moved to Calgary for work more than a decade ago and told The Canadian Press they fear for their safety. Our coverage is here.
Those are separate files with different subject matter, and none has been linked to the Dacosta case.
What happens next
Dacosta's case will proceed through the Alberta Court of Justice.
The RCMP says he remains in custody. An outcome from his scheduled September 15 court appearance had not been publicly released when this article was published.
We will update this article when his next court date or a decision concerning his custody becomes available.
Sources
RCMP: Calgary resident charged for uttering threats against Prime Minister
Criminal Code, section 264.1 — Justice Canada
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