Ontario MPP Randy Hillier permanently suspended from Twitter
Ontario independent MPP Randy Hillier has been suspended from Twitter on Tuesday after months of speaking out against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures.
The news comes after Ottawa police recently revealed they were investigating the MPP’s Twitter activity due to comments related to the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests in the capital city.
In messages to CTV News Toronto, the Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP said the social media platform suspended his account because he “stated the truth.”
“I erred and stated a fact which Twitter found offensive,” he said on Tuesday, adding that his comments were in regards to the court-ordered Pfizer documents released last week about deaths due to vaccination.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Twitter Canada confirmed that the account was permanently suspended for "violating our COVID-19 misleading information policy."
The MPP has faced backlash in the past over his comments and behaviour on social media.
In February, the Ontario legislature passed a motion that Hillier wouldn’t be recognized by the Speaker until he apologized for his conduct on social media.
The MPP has made racist and discriminatory social media statements about federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, and also allegedly wrote posts that were insinuating a call to violence.
In addition, while the convoy protests were being dispersed in late February, Hillier reportedly called for his followers on Twitter to “keep calling” emergency phone lines in Ottawa despite police urging people to stop.
In November last year, Hillier also apologized for a post in which he used names and photos of people who had passed away to suggest without evidence that they had died due to COVID-19 vaccination.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
BREAKING 6 injured in Sharbot Lake, Ont. crash; 2 in life-threatening condition
Ontario Provincial Police say six people have suffered severe injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont, including two in life-threatening condition.