Significantly, the government’s announcement came via Twitter
On Friday, the Conservative government announced–via Twitter–a plan to reform Canada’s election law. The CBC reports Minister of State for Democratic Reform Tim Uppal stated on his Twitter account that the government will change a law that prevents Canadians from announcing federal election results before polls are closed. Speaking in person after the initial tweet, Uppal said: “Not only does the ban infringe upon freedom of expression, it has the potential to subject Canadians to heavy penalties for the use of technologies that are everyday forms of twenty-first century communication.” New legislation to be introduced within months will apply to the Internet as well as radio and television, scrapping the current blackout rules that prevent eastern electoral results from being announced until polls have closed in the western regions.