Professor Richard Moon commented on the Bloc Québécois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet stifling free speech when he blocks critics on Twitter after they criticized his statements about Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.
Professor Moon said it is credible to claim that Blanchet infringed the charter-guaranteed right to freedom of expression of those who can no longer see or comment on his tweets.
While Twitter is not itself subject to the charter as a private entity, Professor Moon said, when a politician uses it as a platform to make announcements and discuss political views, the politician’s account becomes a public platform.
“To exclude someone from responding or addressing because of their political views could then be understood as a restriction on their freedom of expression,” he said.