EXCLUSIVE: Media watchdog says federal department fled X to escape public scrutiny
A May 25 memo cited X comments targeting women, LGBTQ people, and the Gender Equality department, but offered no examples.
A media watchdog is accusing Women and Gender Equality Canada of retreating from public accountability after the department abandoned X, citing the “mental strain” employees experienced from critical online comments.
“Canadians deserve more access to government information, not less,” Independent Press Gallery president Sheila Gunn Reid told Juno News. “Government departments exist to serve the public, and the discomfort of bureaucrats cannot take precedence over transparency, accountability, and Canadians’ right to question government spending and public policy.”
According to records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, a May 25 memo cited X comments targeting women, LGBTQ people and the department but provided no examples.
Deputy Minister Frances McRae said the department deleted its four X accounts on May 29 after a 2025 International Women’s Day post drew a “particularly high volume of hateful comments.” The accounts were removed without any public announcement because, she said, even a final post would likely have sparked another wave of abuse.
