OTTAWA — They may not all be twits about Twitter but many politicians could do more to engage Canadians with their tweets, an expert says.
Many of the more than 100 MPs and senators on Twitter aren’t using the social media tool effectively, said Queen’s University political scientist Jonathan Rose.
“If you read Stephen Harper’s recent tweets they read like a series of press releases, in fact, in most cases they are links to press releases,” he said. “If you are not doing something that is interesting or if you are not doing something that has value, there is no point in saying it.”
Rose said politicians should inject more personality into their tweets despite the risks that inappropriate comments could backfire.
Conservative MP Royal Galipeau told QMI Agency he is “gun-shy” about Twitter after getting into trouble in the spring for tweeting many Liberal MPs were absent from the House of Commons.
“Ignatieff's speech well crafted. Too bad half his Liberal caucus is AWOL,” the MP for Ottawa-Orleans tweeted in March.
MPs are not supposed to mention missing colleagues and Galipeau’s tweet was the subject of a Speaker’s ruling and a committee report on the use of new technology.
Galipeau said he has since refrained from using Twitter although his staff tweet on his behalf.
He is not the only MP to have tweeted himself into a pickle.
Liberal MP Michelle Simson was forced to apologized after tweeting during a heated committee meeting last November that “M.P. Del Mastro should grow up (not out).”
Conservative Sen. Yonah Martin’s executive assistant Paul Seear said they are cautious about using Twitter and until now have kept her tweets protected because of concerns about protecting people.
Not all MPs use Twitter to engage political supporters or spread a partisan message.
“Some people really want to know more about the person and not necessarily what they stand for or what their party is looking to do in Ottawa or what events they attend,” said Conservative MP Blake Richards.
Richards said he wished his colleagues were more open to embracing Twitter’s two-way dialogue, but said party leaders could be excused because of the sheer number of followers likely seeking contact.
Harper spokeswoman Sara MacIntyre said the prime minister uses “the Twitter to communicate to Canadians” about the government's important work through announcements.
Staff for Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and NDP Leader Jack Layton, who are more prone to injecting personal messages on their Twitter accounts, said their bosses dictate their own tweets but employees update their accounts on their behalf.
