Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault must unblock Rebel News founder Ezra Levant on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, under the terms of a court order.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault must unblock Rebel News founder Ezra Levant on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, under the terms of a court order.

  • jadero
    8·
    11 months ago

    That seems like the right decision. Not that blocking should never happen, but that a formal process is followed to ensure that blocks are not used simply to silence dissent.

    That phrasing, though, makes it sound like it’s the minister’s personal account. If that’s the case, then that’s a big problem. There should be a ministerial account to ensure continuity and to keep work separate from life. That is the account that should be kept open. I’m just a flunky and I know better than to use my personal accounts for work and vice versa.

    • Uninvited Guest
      2·
      11 months ago

      At issue in the case was whether Guilbeault’s X account should be considered a personal social media account or an official government one.

      In an affidavit filed with the court, Treasury Board Secretariat official Tracey Headley said Service Canada confirmed that the account in question was not an official government of Canada social media account.

      Levant argued in the initial notice of application to the court that the Guilbeault account had all the trappings of an official, state-run account, adding the content was public in nature.

      • jadero
        1·
        11 months ago

        That is why the work account should be separate from the personal account. While there might be certain kinds of work where that might not apply (actors?), a ministerial account should be mandatory for continuity through cabinet shuffles and changing governments. In fact, it should be prohibited to use an account created before becoming a minister and which might continue to be used after losing your portfolio.

        I’m not sure how I would have decided this case, but I would tend to side with Levant’s position in principle. If you’re using it in an official capacity, then it’s de facto official.