The definitive ranking of Canada’s political Snapchat accounts
For the past few years, politicians have been easy to find on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Now, they’re beginning their first timid forays into Snapchat, an app seemingly designed to repel anyone over the age of 30. Justin Trudeau’s account is inactive (sadly), but here’s a look at the Snapchat feeds of five other government figures.
Jagmeet Singh
Age: 37
Username: jag.meet
Snapping since: 2013
The stylish NDP MPP discovered Snapchat earlier than most non-teenagers: he created his account in July 2013, about two years after the app launched. Although many politicians have staffers manage their profiles, Singh appears to do it all himself. He likes to post 10-second, selfie-style videos narrating his day at Queen’s Park or events he’s attending. He also gets credit for his adept use of filters (see above). Recently, he was snapping from South Africa and Madagascar, where he was attending a conference for French-speaking parliamentarians. Overall Snapchat grade: A+
Tony Clement
Age: 55
Username: tonyclementcpc
Snapping since: 2016
Much like Tony Clement’s career, his Snapchat account has its ups and downs. Some of his snaps can be excruciatingly dull: witness the mug of tea. Other times, his snaps can be surprisingly zany, especially considering he’s a front-runner for the federal Conservative leadership. Our favourite shot shows him swathed in what appears to be a silken smoking jacket. It’s captioned: “I’m the rebel,” with a shocked smiley-face. Overall Snapchat grade: A-
Rona Ambrose
Age: 47
Username: rona.ambrose
Snapping since: 2016
The interim federal Tory leader is a prolific snapper in a party not known for being hip to millennial trends. Most of Ambrose’s shots show her glad-handing supporters or delivering speeches, but she also provides juicing tips and workout playlist recommendations. A few of her posts even reach a certain level of newsworthy intrigue (i.e., a captionless photo of her and Laureen Harper). Ambrose spent last weekend snapping from the Calgary Stampede, where she wore cowboy boots, hung out with Jason Kenney and watched the bull-riders. With the help of a staffer, she maintains a high-volume account: her Snapchat Story (a montage of user-selected snaps) can run to several minutes long. Overall Snapchat grade: B+
Wayne Gates
Age: 63
Username: waynesworldndp
Snapping since: 2016
Gates, the NDP MPP for Niagara Falls, became an improbable social media phenomenon during a 2014 by-election, when an opponent branded him “Radical Wayne.” The monicker was supposed to highlight his left-leaning political views, but it also made him sound kind of amazing. The internet memes came fast and furious, and Gates won the election. Now, his lustrous facial hair and folksy, blue-collar charm have won him a cult following among Niagara region high school students, which led to the creation of a Snapchat account three weeks ago. The account, run by a staffer, consists mainly of videos from local events, and Gates gets points for creative effort on his username (waynesworld was taken). The staffer behind the account laments the fact that Snapchat doesn’t have a good moustache-themed filter. Overall Snapchat grade: B
John Tory
Age: 62
Username: mayorsofficeto
Snapping since: 2016
Tory’s snaps are about as exciting as the man himself—which is to say, not very. The mayor’s Snapchat account is managed by a Ryerson student named Gabriel Ciufo, who was hired for the summer as the office’s designated young’un and “social media resident.” Filters are rarely (if ever) used, and captions are prosaic and awkwardly enthusiastic. (“Come on down to Nathan Phillips Square to embrace in the Caribbean culture!”) The lack of excitement has at least partly to do with the fact that Ciufo is under instructions to keep the account educational. Maybe it’s for the best: seeing John Tory with a dog’s face could be traumatizing. It’s bad enough when he wears sweaters. Overall Snapchat grade: C
Correction
This post originally gave an incorrect age for Wayne Gates. He's 63.
, but here's a look at the Snapchat feeds of five other government figures.
Jagmeet Singh
Age: 37
Username: jag.meet
Snapping since: 2013
The stylish NDP MPP discovered Snapchat earlier than most non-teenagers: he created his account in July 2013, about two years after the app launched. Although many politicians have staffers manage their profiles, Singh appears to do it all himself. He likes to post 10-second, selfie-style videos narrating his day at Queen’s Park or events he's attending. He also gets credit for his adept use of filters (see above). Recently, he was snapping from South Africa and Madagascar, where he was attending a conference for French-speaking parliamentarians. Overall Snapchat grade: A+
Tony Clement
Age: 55
Username: tonyclementcpc
Snapping since: 2016
Much like Tony Clement's career, his Snapchat account has its ups and downs. Some of his snaps can be excruciatingly dull: witness the mug of tea. Other times, his snaps can be surprisingly zany, especially considering he's a front-runner for the federal Conservative leadership. Our favourite shot shows him swathed in what appears to be a silken smoking jacket. It's captioned: “I’m the rebel,” with a shocked smiley-face. Overall Snapchat grade: A-
Rona Ambrose
Age: 47
Username: rona.ambrose
Snapping since: 2016
The interim federal Tory leader is a prolific snapper in a party not known for being hip to millennial trends. Most of Ambrose's shots show her glad-handing supporters or delivering speeches, but she also provides juicing tips and workout playlist recommendations. A few of her posts even reach a certain level of newsworthy intrigue (i.e., a captionless photo of her and Laureen Harper). Ambrose spent last weekend snapping from the Calgary Stampede, where she wore cowboy boots, hung out with Jason Kenney and watched the bull-riders. With the help of a staffer, she maintains a high-volume account: her Snapchat Story (a montage of user-selected snaps) can run to several minutes long. Overall Snapchat grade: B+
Wayne Gates
Age: 63
Username: waynesworldndp
Snapping since: 2016
Gates, the NDP MPP for Niagara Falls, became an improbable social media phenomenon during a 2014 by-election, when an opponent branded him "Radical Wayne." The monicker was supposed to highlight his left-leaning political views, but it also made him sound kind of amazing. The internet memes came fast and furious, and Gates won the election. Now, his lustrous facial hair and folksy, blue-collar charm have won him a cult following among Niagara region high school students, which led to the creation of a Snapchat account three weeks ago. The account, run by a staffer, consists mainly of videos from local events, and Gates gets points for creative effort on his username (waynesworld was taken). The staffer behind the account laments the fact that Snapchat doesn't have a good moustache-themed filter. Overall Snapchat grade: B
John Tory
Age: 62
Username: mayorsofficeto
Snapping since: 2016
Tory’s snaps are about as exciting as the man himself—which is to say, not very. The mayor’s Snapchat account is managed by a Ryerson student named Gabriel Ciufo, who was hired for the summer as the office’s designated young’un and “social media resident.” Filters are rarely (if ever) used, and captions are prosaic and awkwardly enthusiastic. (“Come on down to Nathan Phillips Square to embrace in the Caribbean culture!”) The lack of excitement has at least partly to do with the fact that Ciufo is under instructions to keep the account educational. Maybe it's for the best: seeing John Tory with a dog's face could be traumatizing. It's bad enough when he wears sweaters. Overall Snapchat grade: C){kind=link}