The Perils of Email

February 20, 2007: The experiences of a Canadian Minister reminds us that instant messaging devices are not always the holy grail of communications and that sometimes, we need to have a long, hard think about an email before we send it.

Bill Bennett, a Canadian cabinet minister, used his BlackBerry device to send instant emails to his own employees and anyone up the chain of Canadian politics.

But after using his BlackBerry from a hotel room to respond to one email by labelling the sender a ‘dumb’ and ‘self-inflated, pompous, American know-it-all,’ the minister has now found himself out of work due to the inappropriate and instant communication.

The problem was not only the personal attack, but the anti-American sentiment expressed towards the president of the Canadian Gun Club and American migrant. It’s a situation that according to a number of Canadian news outlets, does not go down too well in Canadian politics.

The email also stated, ‘Our government does not ‘bow to the almighty dollar and face east to Wall Street each day’ but we do recognise a fool when we come across one.”

While Bennett stepped down from his position, a move applauded by his Premier - Gordon Campbell, it appears he may not have otherwise survived long in politics.

In a press conference shortly after the email incident, Bennett admitted to writing the email, stating it was ‘unbecoming’ of a minister to write such offensive material. “It doesn’t matter that the email I wrote was hastily sent in a fit of frustration after a hard day of work,” he said. “My comments were inappropriate and they were inflammatory.”

“I’ve done something stupid and I’m going to pay the price for it,” he said.

Bennett’s experience reminds us that while it might feel good to write it down, it’s not always an equally good idea to send it.

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