Policy by Twitter
Social media is for shouting how much you love a music video, not for major policy announcements,
The optics are dreadful.
And the lesson for the country’s new cabinet ministers is clear: unless you’re Jack Dorsey — and you’re not — do not take to Twitter to announce high-impact policy decisions.
Twitter is where you shout to the world how much you love the new Missy Elliott video. You may use exclamation marks: WTF! In this way, the older white male cabinet minister can appear to be — or pretend to be — a wee bit cool.
It is not the place to, say, kill an airport expansion.
It’s disturbing that this point needs to be hammered home to Marc Garneau, newly named Transport Minister who, during a Thursday afternoon scrum with reporters, offered the appropriate “under study,” “no decision, “learn all the information before I speak” responses when asked about Porter Airlines big wish to bring Bombardier’s C Series jets to Billy Bishop Airport.
Yes it was politics-speak, but sometimes that’s all a minister’s got.
Hours later, professional consideration flew out the window like a little blue bird. “I confirm that GoC position is same as LPC commitment,” Garneau tweeted. “We will not re-open tripartite agreement for YTZ,” using the international aviation code for Toronto.
This is a step too far. Open government: yes. Government by tweet: please God no.
What spurred the sudden volteface? It’s worth observing that MP Adam Vaughan retweeted Garneau’s message in the instant. Defeating Bob Deluce’s desire to bring Bombardier’s “Whisper Jets” to Toronto Island has been Vaughan’s fight. The day after the election Vaughan said that Deluce’s dream was dead. Not as good as dead. Dead dead. “We will not reopen the tripartite agreement,” he told the Star. So did Garneau get schooled? The minister’s office offered a more sedate interpretation: after the Cabinet meeting and after the scrum the transport minister did some additional reading. And then there were consultations. And then he made a decision. And then shared it. Via Twitter. All within the span of a few hours. “It was a process,” the minister’s office told the Star’s Vanessa Lu. This is silly. And the import is serious. The tripartite agreement — signed in 1983 by the City of Toronto, Toronto harbour commissioners (now the Toronto Port Authority) and the federal government — does not allow for jets. Short takeoff and landing aircraft, like the Bombardier Q400 turboprops, currently comprise Porter’s fleet. Those turboprops can fly only so far — their maximum range is roughly 2,000 km. Thus the radius of Deluce’s hoped-for aviation empire is circumscribed, which is bad news for an executive who tried, and failed, to launch an IPO in May, 2010.
Deluce has been seeking approval for a 200-metre runway extension, either end, at Billy Bishop and has a 12-jet conditional order with struggling Bombardier premised on approval of same. Impact assessments are on the go. The company has been surveying passengers: where would you like to see Porter land next? Vancouver! LA! In under a decade the “flying refined” airline with the mischie- vous Mr. Porter raccoon mascot has built a dedicated customer base. As a brand, Porter has been a success.
Opposition to Deluce’s plan has been vociferous, and understandably so. The potential negative effects, from noise to increased ground traffic (a.k.a., “neighbourhood stress”) to the potential effect on the marine zone as a result of lengthening the runway, are serious.
On the other hand, Porter has deep support — businesses, some unions, Norm Kelly. And Deluce has overcome obstacles before, defying all odds by launching the airline without a bridge — the fixed link — connecting the airport to the mainland.
Firmly set positions aside, Deluce at minimum deserves the consideration due an executive who has built a business from scratch. Surely this is obvious. Throughout the day Friday, Marc Garneau’s twitter feed was notably silent. No birds sang. jenwells@thestar.ca