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This article was published 05/08/2014 (4090 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper likes Homer Simpson.

Or does he?

CBC reported over the long weekend that the fabled, donut-loving cartoon dad was among the 223 people Harper follows on Twitter.

Not long after, Simpson got the boot.

Have no fear Homer. You are in good company as Harper also does not follow Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron or any other G7 leaders. But let’s be real.

Is analyzing Harper’s twitter account really going to tell us much? What are the odds he actually uses it himself? Slim to less than none. 

@pmharper follows 224 Twitter users as of 1:20 p.m. Eastern time today. He has tweeted 2,581 times and has 493,000 followers.

Most of his tweets are repeats of official news releases (albeit in shorter form), and the occasional "Hey, I’m a regular person just like you" injection, such as a photograph of himself at the Ottawa Red Blacks game Saturday night. (A game I was at but only knew he was in attendance because I was texting with someone who was watching the game on television).

 

Perfect summer night to watch the Ottawa @REDBLACKS take on the @SskRoughRiders w/ MP Gordon O’Connor pic.twitter.com/cmp9PHB62A

— Stephen Harper (@pmharper) August 3, 2014

 

It’s unlikely we’ll dredge up anything remotely interesting (read: not preplanned for specific political gain) on his Twitter feed or even those of the opposition leaders for that matter. But what about regular old jane or joe MPs? Even cabinet ministers are allowed to tweet themselves and many do.  

Treasury Board President Tony Clement (@TonyclementCPC) is one of the best at it, using the medium expertly to both disseminate talking points but speak directly to his friends and foes alike. Sometimes it gets him into trouble – such as picking an online fight with a teenager. But the technology also gives him a human side, and a glimpse at the man behind the name.

Backbench and opposiiton MPs mainly run their own Twitter accounts, including reading the tweets and choosing who to follow. 

So What about our Manitoba MPs? Generally they follow people you’d expect: other politicians, mostly in their own political party but all follow some in other parties, people in their areas of interest or expertise, media. This in itself can be useful information, giving a glimpse perhaps of who they admire, or where within their own parties they tend to lean.

Some, such as Joyce Bateman, Shelly Glover and rookie Provencher MP Ted Falk, appear to stick solely to people and organizations connected to their political roles. 

NDP MP Pat Martin and Conservative Bob Sopuck are not on Twitter. (Martin quit the site in 2012 after a slew of hot-headed tweets landed him in hot water.)

But most seem to have a few on their lists that might give you a glimpse at the person behind the politician.

A quick synopsis follows. The "last tweet" embedded is the last tweet the politician posted that wasn’t a retweet.

Niki Ashton, NDP

@nikiashton

Tweets: 6,080

Followers: 9,213

Follows: 1,410

You might be interested to know she follows: Ron Burgundy (fictional lead character in Anchorman movie series), the Saskatchewan Roughriders (no Bombers Niki?), comedian Ricky Gervais, actress Lena Dunham, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton.

Last tweet:

 

Yet again. Harper erases women icons from our history: #Feminist T. Casgrain disappears from public history… http://t.co/OaoBrzNlHV #canfem

— Niki Ashton (@nikiashton) July 28, 2014

 

Joyce Bateman, Conservative

@JoyceBatemanMP

Tweets: 343

Followers: 512

Following: 195

You might be interested to know she follows: Assiniboine Park Zoo, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Pride Winnipeg 

Last tweet:

 

Had a fantastic time visiting the Italian Pavilion with @kenneyjason for #Folklorama! pic.twitter.com/coO3xlNMb3

— Joyce Bateman (@JoyceBatemanMP) August 5, 2014

 

Candice Bergen, Conservative

@candicebergenMP 

Tweets: 1,655

Followers: 3,365

Following: 1,305 

You might be interested to know she follows: Prime Minister of Israel, Frank Magazine, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Jennifer Jones curling team, Milt Stegall

Last tweet:

 

w/ @bradcathers and @ryanleefmp to announce more funding to help support Yukoners in need of housing. #IAH

— Candice Bergen (@CandiceBergenMP) July 31, 2014

 

James Bezan, Conservative 

@jamesbezan 

Tweets: 679

Followers: 3,504

Following: 1,163

You might be interested to know he follows: Winnipeg Cinematheque, Winnipeg Pizza Blog, Burton Cummings, Royal Winnipeg Ballet 

Last tweet:

 

A true honour to meet #EuroMaidan hero & # Ukraine superstar @RuslanaOfficial with MP Sopuck in #Dauphin. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/A5JS7iysdf

— James Bezan (@jamesbezan) August 2, 2014

 

Rod Bruinooge, Conservative

@rodbruinooge 

Tweets: 227

Followers: 5,177

Follows: 3,389

You might be interested to know he follows: Mike Puffy (satire of Conservative Senator Mike Duffy), Winnipeg Jets, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Useful Cannabis.

Last tweet:

 

So sad to hear about the tragic loss in John Walsh’s family. Praying for them in this painful time.

— rod bruinooge (@rodbruinooge) July 17, 2014

 

 

Ted Falk, Conservative

@MPTedFalk 

Tweets: 53

Followers: 228

Follows: 80

You might be interested to know he follows: Mennonite Heritage Village, Tip Dreg (Jesus-inspired rapper from Blumenort, Manitoba)

Last tweet:

 

Proud to speak at #ProIsrael rally last night in Wpg. We stand united with Israel during their time of need!

— Ted Falk (@MPTedFalk) July 22, 2014

 

Steven Fletcher, Conservative

@stevenjfletcher

Tweets: 1,017

Followers: 5,366

Follows: 2,521

You might be interested to know he follows: Think Geek, NFL and college football, @popehat, @vampirewiki and @superbadadvice

 Last tweet:

 

Lovely day with my niece Evelyn! Thank you to whoever took the photo. http://t.co/sDpB45AIAN

— Steven Fletcher (@stevenjfletcher) August 5, 2014

 

Shelly Glover, Conservative 

@shellyglovermin 

Tweets:1,205

Followers: 2,208

Follows: 56

You might be interested to know she follows: Canadian country music artist Brett Kissell, Clarence House (official residence of Prince Charles), British Monarchy

Last tweet:

 

Popped into the International art gallery this afternoon in Vancouver and met with Katherine and John pic.twitter.com/TA4oMAG71E

— Shelly Glover (@ShellyGloverMIN) August 2, 2014

 

Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal 

@kevin_lamoureux

Tweets: 420

Followers: 1,922

Follows: 93

You might be interested to know he follows: Ace Burpee, Jian Ghomeshi 

Last tweet:

 

At 2nd pavilion, these young ladies have been volunteering at Ukraine pavilion for 30 years pic.twitter.com/m5qXn4dkkB

— Kevin Lamoureux (@Kevin_Lamoureux) August 4, 2014

 

Larry Maguire, Conservative 

@larrymaguireMP 

Tweets: 1,121

Followers: 1,208

Following: 996

You might be interested to know he follows: Ontario curlers Rachel Homan, Brad Jacobs, Brandon Marlins baseball

Last tweet:

 

Friday fun fact: The Blue Bombers haven’t been 5-1 at this point in the season since 1987.

— Larry Maguire (@LarryMaguireMP) August 1, 2014

 

Joy Smith, Conservative 

@MPjoysmith

Tweets: 2,215

Followers: 2,520

Follows: 2,206

You might be interested to know she follows: Melinda Gates, The Winnipeg Jets, Curler Jennifer Jones, Team Canada Women’s hockey, Olympic hockey players Hayley Wickenheiser and Meghan Agosta.

Last Tweet:

 

BREAKING NEWS: Complete Canada-EU Text Reached @Canada_Trade @HonEdFast another important step towards historic #CETA http://t.co/Jq6YAo2PuP

— Joy Smith (@MPJoySmith) August 5, 2014

 

Lawrence Toet, Conservative 

@lawrencetoetMP

Tweets: 324

Followers: 768

Following: 372

You might be interest to know he follows: soccer player Christine Sinclair, crime novelist Patricia Cornwell, the Rocky Mountaineer 

Last Tweet:

 

Spoke today @TheForks to mark the 100th Anniversary of #WW1. We will remember them. #WW1centenary #cdnpoli #mbpoli pic.twitter.com/m3daG1Q2oS

— Lawrence Toet (@lawrencetoetMP) August 4, 2014