COLUMN: Report from the Legislature – Social media for engagement

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/07/2024 (270 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s summer in La Verendrye and as usual the southeast is a busy place with so much to do. We have many amazing attractions and communities that are proud to show people from across our province what they have to offer. I have always said it, and am now proud to promote it, but the southeast does a great job at putting on some of the most diverse and entertaining summer festivals.

Canada Day included widespread celebrations across the region, with some of the best fireworks in the entire province. This helped kick off the summer with the following weekend being the St.Labre 200 go kart race, which for anyone who hasn’t experienced this, I would strongly encourage them to check it out next year. I have been a fan for years and have now competed on a team for the past six years. We were able to place third this year but the event is all about comradery among participants, the community, and families with proceeds going to local charities. The following weekend included the Ukrainian and multicultural festival in Gardenton, the St. Malo Warriors championship celebration, Buffalo Point Buffalo Days, and the Grunthal Drop Zone fundraiser BBQ lunch. I’ve been enjoying attending each of these events and have been lucky to have my wife and two young boys around to enjoy the experience.

The discussions that came from interacting with various people at these community events had really got me thinking about people’s perception of politicians at all levels of government, and how important social media has become in keeping people informed. I am not very engaged in social media and therefore don’t do the best job at keeping content up to date and active. Since being elected, I have used it more than ever before and have tried to keep updates on where I’ve been or debate that has happened within the chambers of the legislature. The dozen likes or comments that a political post receives has never led me to believe that anyone pays attention or listens to the videos. To my surprise, this summer the comments in person about content that people have seen on my social media has shocked me. I have had friendly constituents who I have yet to have the opportunity to meet say that they follow me on Facebook and make mention of something that they have seen.

This has led me to think about the value social media has for staying engaged with my constituents, both in person and virtually on social media. Until recently, I have always thought that social media was for keeping up with what your friends are doing and that anything political was completely ignored. As of recently I have developed a new outlook on the value social media posts have. As a newly elected representative I am out in public trying to meet as many new people as possible because I have always felt that if you’re not approachable or available you aren’t able to be effective at representing the people who have elected you. Connecting with a massive number of people in public takes a lot of time and sending mail messages informing people on what you are doing costs a lot of money. Therefore, I’m going to be trying to engage more on social media through the main platforms this summer to keep people informed on where I am and what is happening. Look for me on Facebook and Instagram and I’d love to hear from you. Have a great summer everyone!