No reason was given for the Canadian Supreme Court's move away from an account with 45,900 followers, but some MPs have been pushing the government to stop using X.
(LifeSiteNews) – Canada’s Supreme Court says it will no longer use its X (formerly Twitter) social media platform and instead only post on Meta’s platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
“Dear subscribers – moving forward, we will be focusing our communication efforts on other platforms. We invite you to follow us on our LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts to continue receiving our updates. Thank you for your support,” the Supreme Court’s X page posted on February 26.
The announcement by the Supreme Court, which has been on the platform since 2015, comes despite the fact the page had 45,900 followers, which is much more than any other of its social media platforms. For context, the Supreme Court only has 11,000 followers on Facebook and 2,638 on Instagram.
The Supreme Court did not elaborate further on the reasons for ditching X. However, the move comes at the same time some Canadian MPs have been publicly calling for the Canadian government to stop using X because of its ownership by Elon Musk.
New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Charlie Angus went as far as starting an official petition on February 20 that people can sign, claiming that X has become a haven for “misinformation” and “conspiracy theories.”
The court joined the platform long before Musk’s 2022 takeover.
The petition reads, “The Canadian government and its agencies have historically used social media to provide timely updates during crises and major events,” adding that “X has become a platform widely criticized for amplifying misinformation, conspiracy theories, and harmful rhetoric.”
“The government's continued use of X legitimizes and directs traffic to a platform that no longer prioritizes fact-based, accessible public communication,” the petition reads.
The petition goes as far as to call upon the government of Canada to “transition official government communications away from X to more secure, community-regulated platforms that prioritize public safety, accurate information, and accessibility.”
Court’s decision to leave X blasted by constitutional expertsThe Supreme Court’s X post stating it would leave the platform was blasted by many, including some of Canada’s top constitutional lawyers.
Constitutional attorney Eva Chipiuk wrote in response to the Supreme Court’s X post that it was “incredibly disappointing and very telling.”
She cited how the court itself has said its job is to “make independent and impartial decisions on legal issues of public importance. The Court hears cases in all areas of the law, including constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law and private law.”
Chipiuk observed that “there are only two ways to lead: you either divide and conquer, or you build and unite.”
“Perhaps it’s time to start uniting the country,” she wrote.
Since Musk took over X a few years ago, the platform has been tolerable to a wide variety of viewpoints, notably from Conservative voices, who were often canceled when the platform was Twitter, for no valid reasons, notably those who spoke out against COVID dictates and jabs.
As for the current X owner, he has been an open critic of Canada’s current Liberal federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Earlier this year, Musk called Trudeau, who will step down as PM in a little over a week to make way for a new Liberal Party leader, as a “tool” who will not be in “power much longer.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews Musk also remarked that it is “insane” that the Trudeau government’s proposed “Online Harms” bill would target internet speech retroactively if it becomes law.
In 2022, shortly after buying Twitter, Musk took a direct shot at Trudeau’s looming internet censorship legislation, which is now law, suggesting the bill is an attempt to “muzzle” the voice of Canadians.
