TikTok banned on government-issued devices: How party leaders are responding

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has shut down his account on the social media app TikTok, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is “taking a pause” from posting, following the news the federal government is banning the hugely popular app on government-issued phones.

Treasury Board President Mona Fortier, whose department oversees the public service, announced Monday that the app would no longer be allowed on government devices due to cybersecurity concerns.

Canadian MPs from all parties have started deactivating their accounts today in response to the move.

All House of Commons devices will have to do away with the app as of March 3, according to a spokesperson for the Speaker’s Office. Otherwise, they “will no longer be able to access parliamentary infrastructure or internal digital services.”

Poilievre has been very active on social media platforms in the last year — since he announced his intention to run for the party’s leadership — and uses them largely to speak directly to his base through his widely viewed and shared videos.

Poilievre has now scrapped his TikTok account, where he had more than 236,000 followers, entirely. That’s compared to his 279,000 YouTube subscribers, and 587,000 Twitter followers.

“Conservatives take seriously all threats to privacy and security from foreign authoritarian regimes and will always defend the individual privacy rights of Canadians,” wrote Sebastian Skamski, a spokesperson for Poilievre’s office, in an email to CTV News.

“The Leader and all Conservative caucus members will suspend their TikTok accounts and work with all parties to ensure our parliament is protected.”

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Singh, meanwhile still has an active account on TikTok, with nearly 880,000 followers, and hasn’t specified whether he’ll leave the app entirely. He said Tuesday he will suspend his account, and that he has “no concern at all about taking a step back from a social media platform when there are serious concerns.”

Singh joined TikTok shortly before the 2019 election, when no other party leaders were using the app. At the time, he used the platform to drum up support and encourage young voters.

In the nearly four years since, he’s used the app both to discuss NDP priorities and to participate in viral trends, such as dance videos involving his family.

Singh’s TikTok following far surpasses the numbers on his other social media accounts; for example his 593,000 Twitter followers.

“I want to be able to reach out to people wherever they are, whether it's in a community centre or on a social media platform,” Singh told reporters Tuesday. “I really believe in using every tool I have to be able to get out to people and speak to them and hear from them and share my views.”

But Singh will be suspending his account on both his personal and professional devices, and added: “taking a pause to assess how we can do it safely is something that I feel very comfortable doing and I have no hesitation to do.”

The federal government’s decision to ban use of the app on government devices comes after the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada announced last week it is launching a joint investigation into the app alongside the provincial privacy authorities in Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta.

“The House of Commons’ decision to remove access to the application on its corporate assets follows a series of consultations with national security partners and is aligned with similar action taken by other jurisdictions and institutions,” wrote Speaker’s Office spokesperson Amélie Crosson in a release Tuesday.

The U.S. Senate and the European Union also do not allow TikTok on government-issued devices.

Other MPs with large TikTok followings have also started shutting down their accounts, such as Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman, who had nearly 170,000 followers as of Tuesday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doesn’t have an official account on TikTok, but other Liberal MPs are active on the platform, including MP Jenna Sudds, who has about 5,100 followers.

Sudds tweeted Tuesday she would be suspending her account following the new security guidelines, but that she would “continue sharing video content on Instagram Reels and YouTube.”

Trudeau said Monday, “This may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take, but every step of the way we’re going to be making sure that we’re keeping Canadians safe.”

Some provincial governments, including in Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Alberta, have also announced they’re banning the platform on government devices.

With files from CTVNews.ca’s Senior Digital Parliamentary Reporter Rachel Aiello