There is something undeniably satisfying about blocking a troublesome person on Twitter. One click, and the noise is over. But that simple act, if carried out by a government official, could end up being unconstitutional in Canada if a newly launched court challenge is successful against Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. Three Ottawa residents formally launched a case against Watson this week, arguing that he is violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when he blocks users on Twitter. Here’s how it’s worded in the application filed this week with Ontario Superior Court: Watson’s Twitter account is “a public digital space where individuals can express and disseminate their views on public matters,” and his blocking of citizens’ access to his account “infringes their right to freedom of expression as protected by subsection 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” This isn’t a frivolous case. The complainants are serious people: Dylan Penner works with the Council of Canadians, James Hutt is with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Emilie Taman is a lawyer, professor and former NDP candidate, as well as being the daughter of former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour. Read more: Opinion | Politicians, agencies have no right to block critical social media commentsTest case challenges a politician’s right to block people from Twitter accountEditorial | Privacy laws should apply to everyone, including political partiesTheir lawyer is Paul Champ and I talked to him briefly this week after he filed the application. Yes, it’s true, Champ said — politicians don’t have any constitutional obligations to listen to citizens in Canada, with some notable, if limited exceptions seen in recent court cases about Indigenous rights. But the Charter does give us rights to speak, and like it or not, a lot of that dialogue between the government and the governed is taking place on Twitter. We p ...
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