As the Trudeau government loses control of their public image in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin fiasco it appears the Liberals have resorted to pre-scripting the social media posts of their MPs.
Rather than fooling anyone, examples of pre-scripted and pre-approved messages have been noticed and shared by the Canadian public.
It has been pointed out that Liberal MPs Anita Vandenbeld and Linda Lapointe recently made practically identical statements on social media, one on Facebook and the other on Twitter, praising Trudeau for listening to women and saying “I have never felt that I could not speak to him openly.”
These manufactured defences came after female cabinet Ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott had both resigned, and another Liberal MP claims that she was met with hostility and anger from the Prime Minister in a private meeting.
In another example of potential post duplication was seen as MPs Rob Oliphant and Ruby Sahota made strikingly similar Tweets slamming the Conservatives for forcing a late-night session of the House of Commons in June.
The posts have the same format, use similar wording, and even includes the same spin that the late-night session had “no impact whatsoever on public policy.”
Canadians, who expect that MPs should give their honest and unscripted opinions to their constituents, have been quick to notice and point out similarities on social media.
While many Canadians are concerned by the scripted social media posts, many are also noticing the laziness of those sending them out.
Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz’s Facebook account once posted about “International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia” and how she was “proud to be part of a community that celebrates diversity and inclusion.”
In the post, as many noticed, instead of her riding’s name, the term “[riding here]” can be seen, signalling that this was copied and pasted from somewhere else, rather than written by Dzerowicz or anyone in her office.
As the 2019 federal election nears more scrutiny will certainly be on MPs and their social media, especially in the wake of scripted defences on behalf of the Prime Minister.
