Federal Election Report 5: Growing number of politicians on Bluesky, and fewer candidates on X

We looked at where federal candidates were showing up on social media, specifically exploring which candidates were present and active on the growing social media platform Bluesky, and whether use of X (formerly Twitter) had increased or decreased by candidates since the 2021 election. While the percentage of Canadians on Bluesky is still small in comparison to X, a number of politicians have recently publicly discussed leaving X for Bluesky. Exploring candidate presence on these two platforms gives us insight into where candidates are engaging with their constituents online and what approach different parties have taken to social media platform usage.

Summary:

• Bluesky usage is increasing among Canadian politicians, across parties. In four months, the number of MPs with Bluesky accounts has quadrupled. In November, CBC found that 21 MPs had a Bluesky account. Now, at least 92 MPs have one. 
• X usage has decreased among incumbent candidates since the last federal election, although not dramatically. A number of candidates retain an account on X without actively posting.
• Parties do not have a consistent social media platform policy - while the Liberals have embraced Bluesky more than other parties, all major parties have some representation on the platform. Equally well, while Conservatives now have a stronger presence on X, you can find candidates from all major parties active on the platform. 

Growing number of politicians on Bluesky

While overall usage of Bluesky is still quite low in comparison to other social media platforms (particularly Facebook, X, YouTube, Reddit), we have seen that usage by politicians has exploded. In November of 2024, CBC identified 21 MPs with accounts on Bluesky. In four months, that number has more than quadrupled - at least 92 MPs now have accounts, with representation from all sitting parties (92 is the number of MPs running for re-election who have Bluesky accounts - it does not account for MPs such as Charlie Angus who are not running for re-election but do have accounts on Bluesky). Therefore, over a quarter of MPs now have a Bluesky account. As for all political candidates from major parties in the 2025 federal election, 326 have a Bluesky account - which is 21% of the candidates running. While there is a much higher uptake in Bluesky usage among Liberals (42%) than Conservatives (3%), there is representation across parties.

2025 federal election candidates on Bluesky, by party

2025 federal election candidates' Bluesky use, by party

Fewer politicians on X

A number of MPs, such as Charlie Angus (who is not running for re-election), have been explicit about their decision to switch platforms, noting that the role that Elon Musk has played in the Trump administration was a decisive factor in their choice to leave X. In addition to his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency with the U.S. government, Musk has spread disinformation about Canadian public broadcasting, and used his platform to make comments dismissive of Canadian sovereignty, including a post on X (subsequently taken down) that “Canada is not a real country.” But have a significant number of politicians actually abandoned the platform?

In 2021, we tracked incumbent candidates on the platform that is now X (then, Twitter). Of all 308 incumbent candidates, only 10 did not have a Twitter account (7 Conservative incumbents, 2 Bloc Québécois incumbents and 1 Liberal incumbent). Notably fewer incumbent candidates have an X account in 2025 - and this is true for every party. These numbers also do not account for a decrease in active users. Some MPs, such as incumbent NDP candidates Taylor Bachrach and Gord Johns, have retained an account on X but no longer post content.

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Incumbent MPs on X, by year

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Little consistent social media platform policy within parties

While a greater percentage of Liberal candidates are active on Bluesky than candidates from other parties, and a greater percentage of Conservative candidates still active on X, there is no real consistency across parties with regards to platform usage. For example, 76% of sitting NDP candidates have Bluesky accounts, yet only 28% of NDP candidates are present on Bluesky. While a much smaller percentage of Conservatives are using Bluesky, there are still 10 candidates who have a presence on the platform. Liberal candidates are adopting Bluesky as a platform more quickly than other parties, but they are still highly present on X. While Bluesky has created a new space that Canadian politicians are clearly interested in experimenting with, the social media ecosystem is still in flux. No party has established a consistent, party-line approach to social media usage with regards to using one platform exclusively or avoiding another.

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Candidates in the 2025 federal election on Bluesky and X, by party

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