It’s a social media platform owned by a member of U.S. President Donald Trump’s inner circle — a man accused of giving two Nazi salutes at the presidential inauguration last month.
It’s also one of the main ways elected officials and government departments in Newfoundland and Labrador convey vital information to the public.
And, according to the premier’s office — it’s going to stay that way for now.
The provincial government has at least 20 official accounts on the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter, a wildly popular platform owned by Elon Musk.
Some of the province’s accounts post daily, broadcasting everything from weather warnings to legislative updates.
“At the end of the day, providing Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with pertinent provincial government information is our priority,” wrote executive council spokesperson David Sorensen in a statement to CBC News on Thursday.
“Newfoundlanders and Labradorians do use X, like they use Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.”
CBC News asked Premier Andrew Furey earlier this week if he was planning to move away from the platform amid Musk’s ties to the Trump administration, which has recently attacked transgender rights, dismantled diversity policies and repeatedly threatened to annex Canada.
Furey, visibly biting his tongue, told reporters he’d keep his personal opinions about X to himself, but issued a broad warning to the public.
“I urge everybody, when making their decisions on what media platforms to use, what cars to buy, to look at what the people behind them actually represent – the values that they are very open about, the values that they espouse,” Furey said.
“Do those values reflect who we are?”
Global pushback
X, which launched in 2012, has been used for years as a government communication tool around the world. But Trump’s recent moves, and Musk’s new role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, have led some policymakers to condemn the platform.
One Spanish politician, speaking to European legislators about moving away from American-owned social media, argued X was a threat to democracy.
“You can … take your Nazi salutes and your ‘masculine energy’ and go back home,” Laura Ballarín said.
An Australian senator, in an impassioned speech this week, related Musk’s behaviour to a “slide into fascism.”
“If you’re one of the highest-profile people in the world, and a massive global debate erupts about whether or not you gave a Nazi salute, and you don’t come out and say it wasn’t a Nazi salute, then it was a Nazi salute,” Nick McKim told the senate.
The City of Barcelona also announced this week it would severely curtail its use of X, shutting down 80 accounts tied to the municipality. Closer to home, North Vancouver walked away from the platform last month.
But in Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s not as easy as simply leaving the platform overnight, says Scott Matthews, a political science professor at Memorial University.
“X is hard to replace right now,” Matthews says, noting it’s where he goes when the weather gets bad, roads are dangerous, or criminals are on the loose.
“I can well understand that the premier’s office and the government … might be feeling uncomfortable right now with that site, [and] maybe a bit stuck for what the alternative is, because we’ve come to rely on it in so many ways.”
The platform is firmly entrenched in government communication strategy: Alongside Facebook, it’s where bulletins and updates are regularly posted and easily accessed.
“I think for communicating really directly with people in the province, if they ceased to post on there, I’m less sure where I’d go,” he said.
“It’s a big decision for government to change the way that it communicates, and social media has become a part of the ecosystem. And I think it’s probably good that they don’t move too quickly on this.”
But that’s not to say the province shouldn’t be considering alternatives, Matthews adds.
His own political science department had a conversation about the ethics of using X as an official platform this week, he said.
The department decided to pull the plug.
“There are things that are happening right now with the Trump administration, and people that are closely associated with Trump, that don’t reflect our values in the department,” Matthews said.
“Inclusiveness, diversity — you know, truth — integrity.”
The Newfoundland and Labrador government, whose main X account has over 60,000 followers, on Thursday made the leap to Bluesky, a competing social media company with a similar format to X.
The spokesperson for Furey’s office signalled that it “will be expanding our presence on that platform as its usage grows.”
“We are careful in how we use all social media platforms and are reviewing how other governments are responding to the dynamic American political environment,” Sorensen wrote.
“As a government, we are constantly monitoring trends in how residents consume and engage information and adjust our communications practices accordingly.”
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