Solomon says Grok issue is ‘not over,’ as New Brunswick government joins federal Liberal MPs ditching X/Twitter

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt became the latest public official to abandon X (formerly Twitter) this week — but Ottawa’s position remains murky. More federal and provincial officials are leaving X (formerly Twitter) after Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence (AI) software, flooded the site with a wave of non-consensual deepfake images last month — but Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon isn’t planning any specific policy response. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt announced her government would join a growing list of elected representatives to leave X, citing the platform’s contributions to rising political polarization and a lack of safeguards of young people. “We’ve been carefully considering how we use social media and specifically X as a government for some time,” said Holt in a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday. “Social media is a tool we use to keep New Brunswickers informed quickly and directly.” “However, the recent concerns raised about X’s operations are deeply troubling.” Over the last few weeks, Grok, which is directly embedded into X’s interface, acquiesced to thousands of user requests for sexually intimate non-consensual deepfakes, involving pictures being altered by having a person’s clothes removed or placed in a provocative pose. This wave of AI-generated sexualized imagery, which Elon Musk, the platform’s owner, says has since been blocked, overwhelmingly targeted women and, in some cases, children. Grok has also previously faced criticism for, among other things, incessantly discussing a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa and characterizing itself as ‘MechaHitler.’ Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne has since announced his office’s ongoing investigation into X would be expanded to include the deepfake imagery. Holt, whose Liberal government took office in 2024, said X has “eroded trust” for New Brunswickers and, “given these serious concerns,” the provincial government will no longer use the platform for “routine communications.” Ottawa’s response to the issue has centred on Bill C-16, which, among other things, would criminalize the distribution of non-consensual deepfakes, though some experts are dubious the legislation, as written, would apply to AI softwares or social media platforms, as reported by The Wire Report. C-16 has cleared second reading in the House of Commons, and will soon be studied by the justice committee. During an appearance at the House ethics committee on Thursday, Solomon (Toronto Centre, Ont.) said the legislation could be supported by his office’s forthcoming bill on privacy and data implications of AI, which could capture “part” of the deepfake issue. During an interview earlier this week, Solomon, who was appointed to the AI portfolio following last year’s election, said the government is “seized” with addressing deepfakes, but he would not commit to any further action. “We’re not done with the issue of protecting Canadians, and we’re not done with the issue of making sure that people feel safe,” Solomon told The Wire Report. “Non-consensual sexualized imagery is a form of violence.” “We think that women and vulnerable groups are being targeted too much… the issue is not over.” A government source, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Solomon had meetings with various international partners to discuss Grok’s non-consensual spread of deepfakes. However, Solomon, who continues to post on X, said his office is “not involved in any coordinated at the moment.” An emerging trend New Brunswick’s decision is the latest example in a growing trend of political figures abandoning the platform, which has been owned by Musk since 2022. Last month, Liberal MP Viviane Lapointe (Sudbury, Ont.) announced her office would be “suspending” its use of X. “Since the rise of hyper-polarized politics, we’ve seen a rise in online discourse becoming more aggressive,” Lapointe said in an interview with The Wire Report on Friday. “X has increasingly allowed outrage and misinformation… on their platform, and that creates a distorted public conversation that I believe does not reflect the values of most Canadians.” “I think elected officials are feeling increasingly that social media should be used to inform the public, not mislead them.” Lapointe said there haven’t been formal discussions within the Liberal caucus about a mass exodus of the platform, but she’s noticed it’s becoming a pattern amongst elected officials at every level of government. Lapointe, alongside Liberal MPs Will Greaves (Victoria, B.C.), Dominique O’Rourke (Guelph, Ont.), Julie Dzerowicz (Davenport, Ont.), and Patrick Weiler (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, B.C.) have all announced in 2026 that they will either temporarily or permanently stop using X. It should be noted that Dzerowicz has since resumed posting on the platform. “This is not about one isolated incident,” said Weiler in a statement. “It reflects a broader pattern of neglect by a platform and by companies that profit from engagement while failing to protect people.” “After repeated concerns and unanswered warnings, this latest development was the final straw.” Other parliamentarians, like Alberta Senator Paula Simons and NDP MP Alexander Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, Que.) had left the platform before Grok’s non-consensual deepfake scandal, but they have both since called on the federal government to stop posting on X. In other countries, such as the U.K., political officials have also gradually walked away from the site. The Liberal government is set to bring back a revived version of the Online Harms Act later this year, as first reported by The Wire Report, which is expected to offer additional policy responses to dangers found on the internet. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

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Solomon says Grok issue is ‘not over,’ as New Brunswick government joins federal Liberal MPs ditching X/Twitter

Regulatory | By Davis Legree |February 6, 2026

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt became the latest public official to abandon X (formerly Twitter) this week — but Ottawa’s position remains murky.

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By Davis Legree
|February 6, 2026