The Canadian Radio-Television Commission's (CRTC) decision that allowed internet providers to keep track of the extent to which users access websites, download material and then bill them based on their levels of usage caused quite a stir.

But the government thought it fitting and appropriate to announce that it would overturn this decision by sending out a tweet to concerned citizens.

Canada's industry minister, Tony Clement, is parliament's most avid user of social media websites, boasting 12,000 followers on Twitter. But to show just how important social networking has become in broadcasting official information and capturing the media's attention, Clement estimated that around 2,000 or so of his followers are likely to be journalists and bloggers.

Clement's conservative government faced criticism from oppositions members, after it transpired that the CRTC's president discovered that his decision had been overruled from the world's second most popular social media website.

But Clement's message to his critics was clear: "open your arms to tweeting" and do not fear if 21st century governments decide to use tweets and other networking sites to formulate easily comprehensible policies in 140 characters or less.

Clement argues that using social networking websites to get a message out to the public is no different or more scandalous than firing off press releases.

The attempt to allow Canada's internet service providers to meter usage, rather than offering unlimited access, caused plenty of controversy, particularly among those who use the net to post videos, download music and share documents.