Federal managers in a series of social media errors misspelled the Queen’s name when she died and compared tax filing to monkey business. According to Blacklock's Reporter, the gaffes are among scores of Government of Canada tweets deleted by staff, records show..Cabinet in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons itemized all messages scrubbed from its Twitter accounts since 2019. The list was requested by Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville, ON) who asked, “With regard to tweets made by the government that were later deleted, what are the details of each instance?”.The Privy Council Office deleted a tweet honouring the Queen following her death last September 8. It misspelled her name as "Elisabeth." Other embarrassments included a 2019 tweet by Library and Archives Canada that used an inappropriate photo to commemorate World Breastfeeding Day. “Library and Archives Canada did not have consent to publish the photo,” it said..The Department of Agriculture two weeks after Hurricane Fiona published a tweet last October 6: “Many farmers in Atlantic Canada and Eastern Québec are feeling overwhelmed and stressed by the damage left from Hurricane Fiona. Find mental health support here.” Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau’s office ordered the tweet deleted..A similar hurricane-themed tweet by the Department of Fisheries stated: “If you find lobsters washed up on the shore after the storm remember it is illegal to harvest them. Simply leave them there.” Staff deleted the message after it was ridiculed on Twitter. They called it "poorly timed.".The fisheries department also deleted a November 21 tweet with a “fun fact about swordfish and the parasites they carry.” The message was scrubbed due to “sensitivities about the parasites,” wrote staff..The Department of Public Works deleted a 2021 tweet by its Crown Assets Disposal office announcing the upcoming auction of a gold Rolex watch seized by Customs agents. “The tweet was deleted following an enquiry about the watch potentially being stolen,” said the Inquiry..The Department of Environment erased a 2019 tweet for misinformation. “Small island countries are at the front lines of climate change,” it said. “The Minister of Environment hosted a meeting to discuss how to help these small islands.” The tweet was “factually inaccurate,” said the department..The Canada Revenue Agency deleted numerous messages including a 2021 monkey-themed tweet. “Be a chimp-ion this tax season and sign up for My Account,” it said. “The perks are ape-solutely a-peeling!” The post was scrubbed since it “could be taken out of context,” said the Agency..A separate 2020 tax tweet stated: “Think you gotta spend your cash? You don’t! Some of our certified tax software don’t cost a thing.” The Revenue Agency deleted the message as inappropriate..“As the Agency neither owns nor produces tax software it was determined use of the word ‘our’ could be misleading,” it said. “Further, it was determined it may not be appropriate to promote free software exclusively among all the tax software solutions available to taxpayers.”
Federal managers in a series of social media errors misspelled the Queen’s name when she died and compared tax filing to monkey business. According to Blacklock's Reporter, the gaffes are among scores of Government of Canada tweets deleted by staff, records show..Cabinet in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons itemized all messages scrubbed from its Twitter accounts since 2019. The list was requested by Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville, ON) who asked, “With regard to tweets made by the government that were later deleted, what are the details of each instance?”.The Privy Council Office deleted a tweet honouring the Queen following her death last September 8. It misspelled her name as "Elisabeth." Other embarrassments included a 2019 tweet by Library and Archives Canada that used an inappropriate photo to commemorate World Breastfeeding Day. “Library and Archives Canada did not have consent to publish the photo,” it said..The Department of Agriculture two weeks after Hurricane Fiona published a tweet last October 6: “Many farmers in Atlantic Canada and Eastern Québec are feeling overwhelmed and stressed by the damage left from Hurricane Fiona. Find mental health support here.” Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau’s office ordered the tweet deleted..A similar hurricane-themed tweet by the Department of Fisheries stated: “If you find lobsters washed up on the shore after the storm remember it is illegal to harvest them. Simply leave them there.” Staff deleted the message after it was ridiculed on Twitter. They called it "poorly timed.".The fisheries department also deleted a November 21 tweet with a “fun fact about swordfish and the parasites they carry.” The message was scrubbed due to “sensitivities about the parasites,” wrote staff..The Department of Public Works deleted a 2021 tweet by its Crown Assets Disposal office announcing the upcoming auction of a gold Rolex watch seized by Customs agents. “The tweet was deleted following an enquiry about the watch potentially being stolen,” said the Inquiry..The Department of Environment erased a 2019 tweet for misinformation. “Small island countries are at the front lines of climate change,” it said. “The Minister of Environment hosted a meeting to discuss how to help these small islands.” The tweet was “factually inaccurate,” said the department..The Canada Revenue Agency deleted numerous messages including a 2021 monkey-themed tweet. “Be a chimp-ion this tax season and sign up for My Account,” it said. “The perks are ape-solutely a-peeling!” The post was scrubbed since it “could be taken out of context,” said the Agency..A separate 2020 tax tweet stated: “Think you gotta spend your cash? You don’t! Some of our certified tax software don’t cost a thing.” The Revenue Agency deleted the message as inappropriate..“As the Agency neither owns nor produces tax software it was determined use of the word ‘our’ could be misleading,” it said. “Further, it was determined it may not be appropriate to promote free software exclusively among all the tax software solutions available to taxpayers.”
