Does Premier Scott Moe see your social media comments? A party insider gives her insights

Janani Whitfield · CBC News

· Posted: May 10, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

When Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe congratulated Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney connected winning the astir caller national election, disgruntled comments implicit different Liberal triumph swiftly began rolling successful connected societal media. 

"Time to separate."

"Independence oregon 51st State is the lone enactment near for us."

"The choler successful the westbound is real."

Just however overmuch attraction are politicians paying to societal media commentators and their viewpoints — and should that signifier their policies? Moe's erstwhile chief-of-staff Shannon Andrews joined the latest episode of CBC's This Is Saskatchewan's podcast to excavation into that question and shed airy connected however politicians similar Moe usage societal media arsenic a instrumentality themselves. 

The premier himself does person a tiny squad managing his societal media, according to Andrews, who present works with Upstream Strategy Group arsenic a consultant. But she said Moe does person a batch of input implicit what's posted nether his name.

"He views each of his posts anterior to them going out," she said, adding he's besides attuned to large assemblage stories and shouting retired Saskatchewan successes.

But if radical are reasoning that elected officials whitethorn spot what they station successful the comments section, she said they shouldn't clasp their breath.

"He's besides precise busy, arsenic astir elected folks are. They don't person clip to beryllium sitting astir connected immoderate of the platforms combing done each the comments."

There's besides a request to instrumentality these online comments with a atom of salt, she said, noting societal media is "loud," compared to conversations successful the constituency bureau oregon connected java row.

"You can't ever verify who the root is, who it is that is making the post. And truthful successful that respect, you person to benignant of equilibrium it off.… Sometimes you don't adjacent cognize if they're coming from a idiosyncratic who lives successful the province."

Some people, including the Official Opposition, person said the premier should talk retired loudly against occidental separatist sentiments.

• 'We're not funny successful separation': Sask. authorities responds to sovereignty petition

Regina Leader-Post political columnist Murray Mandryk said on This is Saskatchewan's Political Panel that entertaining this benignant of sentiment does thing to turn Moe's elector base.

"He needs to physique enactment successful that mediate area, municipality Saskatchewan," Mandryk said, adding that helium feels Moe has been excessively cagey successful scrums erstwhile asked astir separatist fervour.

"His inability conscionable to simply say, 'Yeah, I condemn those trying to interruption up my country,' that's an casual happening for a premier to say. He wouldn't accidental it."

So wherefore isn't Moe much forceful successful his comments? For Andrews, it's a substance of recognizing the level of choler determination is successful Western Canada implicit the national government's handling of provincial jurisdiction and resource-driven economies.

"I deliberation that sometimes the connection separation gets chucked into this treatment and I don't privation to spot it downplay the existent concerns and vexation that Western Canadians have," she said.

"They privation to beryllium a portion of Canada, but they request to consciousness valued to consciousness that they're a portion of Canada."

Andrews said she believes Moe's measured code over the predetermination of Prime Minister Mark Carney is genuine.

"As overmuch arsenic this mightiness beryllium hard to judge aft this past decennary — and to beryllium sure, determination were many, galore hard moments with the Liberal authorities and with erstwhile premier curate [Justin] Trudeau — I deliberation he's sincere successful this effort," she said. 

At the aforesaid time, Andrews said radical tin expect Moe to proceed his signifier of speaking retired against national authorities actions that wounded Saskatchewan interests.

Social media mightiness beryllium an casual mode for voters to explicit their choler oregon kudos for politicians, but Andrews said that astatine the extremity of the day, a bully old-fashioned telephone call, email oregon sojourn to an MLA's office  is the champion mode to link with them.

"They tin beryllium truthful responsive, and to beryllium fair, that's some sides of the House," she said, adding, "It mightiness instrumentality a small spot of time, and there's a batch of calls coming in, [but] they'll get backmost to you."