There are currently 304 Members of Parliament in Canada’s House of Commons, each of whom is voted in by the residents in their riding or constituency. According to the first-past-the-post system, whomever gains the most votes, not a majority, becomes the elected representative. Since the bar of eligibility is reasonably low - one must be a citizen, out of prison, innocent of election fraud, not a member of a provincial and territorial legislature, nor a Crown representative such as a judge, attorney and election officer - nearly any Canadian can aspire to be an MP regardless of their professional background. Charlie Angus of the New Democratic Party was a musician and journalist before turning to politics. Ken Dryden of the Liberal Party won six Stanley Cups as the goalie of the Montreal Canadiens whereas his colleague Scott Simms worked as an anchor for Canada’s Weather Network. For the governing Conservatives, Kelly Block began in health care before becoming a stay-at-home mother who was a church volunteer, and Rick Norlock is retired from the Ontario Provincial Police. None of these MPs are in cabinet so their national profile is determined by their previous careers and their current impact. Angus is highly regarded for his energy and efforts, but Block and Norlock might not be recognized by anyone in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. 

Until this week, a similar level of anonymity applied to Michelle Simson, a Liberal MP from the Greater Toronto area. Her biography details professional accomplishments in the banking and leasing sector, community involvement in hockey and is larded with the requisite amount of partisanship. It’s the kind of resume that’s sufficient to win a riding owned by the Liberals since 1988 without calling unnecessary attention to its owner. But Simson, like numerous MPs, uses Twitter to communicate with about 450 followers about her duties.

Lots of requests for my community calendar are flowing through the office. Glad we had an opportunity to highlight the beauty that is SSW [Scarborough Southwest}! After a very moving Remembrance day in riding, back to work in constit office today. …Just took part in moving Remembrance Day services at the Scarborough Cenotaph. A small tribute to our veterans and troops currently serving

Unfortunately, Simson’s Twitter use revealed her to be not only dull but meanspirited. Consider what she tweeted about the unknown Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro at a committee meeting on November 17.

In committee this morning. M.P. Del Mastro should grow up (not out). #lpc

Simson’s cruelty is that Del Mastro, like a lot of Canadians, is not slim. Del Mastro demanded an apology from Simson in the House of Commons later that day. “I apologize that I’m not perfect and perhaps my stature doesn’t meet the criteria that some members of the House might set but I have actually battled that problem since birth,” he said. Simson later apologized, noting her comment was out of line. Her brief foray into the national sphere over, she will likely be remembered as the MP who made fun of her colleague’s weight via Twitter.

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