Canadian politicians have increasingly taken to social media to campaign as well as communicate with constituents, sharing updates on policies, local events, emergencies or government initiatives.
But stories have emerged of constituents being blocked by their representatives. Should Canadian politicians be free to block their own constituents?
Some politicians claim the blocking is to combat increased online harassment, while constituents have claimed that simply being critical of policies or initiatives is enough to get them blocked.
Some recent cases in Canada include federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault being asked to unblock Ezra Levant on X in 2023, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith blocking constituents on X in 2023 and Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante blocking comments on X and Instagram in 2024. In 2018, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was sued by three local Ottawa activists after blocking them on X.
I guess in a sense politicians’ social media profiles create a platform for others to spread their message by interacting with the politicians’ posts. So when Guilbeault posts something that gains traction, then Ezra replies, that gets his reply a lot of exposure. In that sense, maybe there is a point to allow blocking, in that it denies such figures this platform. A perhaps better solution would be for Guilbeault to have a social media army that ratios Ezra by debunking his bullshit. But could be very difficult if not impossible given how much easier it is for an actor like Ezra to generate bullshit compared to debunking it. It would educate his followers though and perhaps deflate his influence.