The TikTok startup page is displayed on an iPhone in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. The House of Commons announced on Tuesday that it's banning the application from all House-managed devices, effective March 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Canadian politicians have started deactivating their TikTok accounts after the federal government and House of Commons both decided to ban the app from their devices.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has already suspended his use of the TikTok video app and a spokesman says all members of caucus will do the same.
Treasury Board President Mona Fortier’s office says all Liberal MPs have been asked to suspend their TikTok accounts and remove the app from both their work and personal devices.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he plans to step away from the social media platform, although did not say whether all of his MPs would follow suit.
Fortier announced Monday that Ottawa would ban TikTok from all government-issued devices, after similar moves in the United States and European Union, and the House of Commons says its own ban will come into effect Friday.
Last week, provincial and federal privacy watchdogs announced an investigation to delve into whether TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, complies with Canadian privacy legislation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2023.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
