Six memorable Brad Wall social media moments
The premier was often outspoken on Twitter and Facebook about his stances on various issues
Over the years, Premier Brad Wall has used social media as a platform for voicing his opinions, often standing up for his policies and beliefs on Facebook and Twitter. As Wall's retirement approaches, we're taking a look back at some memorable moments.
Wall's beef with A&W
Wall's saga with the restaurant chain began in 2016, when A&W put out an advertisement touting their "no added hormones" beef.
Wall took issue with that, because A&W's beef is not 100-per-cent Canadian.
There is another ad from <a href="https://twitter.com/AWCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AWCanada</a> promoting non-Canadian beef. Guess we can support Cdn beef restaurants like <a href="https://twitter.com/McDonalds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@McDonalds</a>
—@PremierBradWallA&W Food Services of Canada's president, Susan Senecal, responded by saying Saskatchewan was one of the first provinces in which A&W was able to source its beef.
Plucking a banjo
Brad Wall's love for the Saskatchewan Roughriders never went unnoticed. This love affair was on full display back in 2013, when Wall shared a video of himself playing a banjo in his office in anticipation of the annual Banjo Bowl — stoking the fire of a decades-old rivalry.
'Slippery slope' of removing historic names
In late August 2017, Wall penned a letter urging those wanting to remove John A. Macdonald's name from an Ontario school to reconsider. At the time, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario had just passed a resolution that suggested school boards across the province remove the former prime minister's name from schools due to his policies, many of which targeted and marginalized Indigenous peoples.
In his post, Wall called the move a "slippery slope."
"This is a slippery slope, and one that threatens the preservation of all our history, that which commends as well as that which shames. Where does all of this lead? Macdonald's words and some of his actions are reprehensible, even though conventional to the period," an excerpt reads.
The post garnered much and mixed reaction on social media.
You can read Wall's full post here.
#WaylonWednesday
Another thing Wall is known to love is country music. Some Wednesdays, he posts a song in honour of country music legend Waylon Jennings.
Twitter battle with Naomi Klein
Wall sparred with Stanford University professor and Canadian author Naomi Klein about the Leap Manifesto in 2016.
Wall mocked the manifesto, saying Leap's proposition of shifting to 100-per-cent renewable energy by 2050 was absurd.
Klein and Wall then engaged in a back-and-forth on Twitter. It ended like this:
.<a href="https://twitter.com/NaomiAKlein?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NaomiAKlein</a> @mzjacobso Leap: 34 nations incl China eliminating fossil fuels in 34 yrs?? No oil, gas, coal, uranium Great talk. Fun times
—@PremierBradWallMost of the exchange can be seen in our story here.
Taking on Trudeau
Brad Wall emerged as a premier unafraid to take on the federal government, namely Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Wall was a vigilant critic, especially when it came to the implementation of the federal carbon tax.
Last year, Wall retweeted a tweet that used the word "shithead" to describe the prime minister. This came after Wall had criticized the proposed carbon tax on social media. Trudeau argued that the revenue collected through this tax would remain in Saskatchewan.
Wall later apologized.
What are your favourite Premier Wall moments on social media? Let us know.