Kathleen Wynne’s AMA: Many questions asked, not many answered

Twitter and Facebook are pretty much old hat now for politicians, so some are venturing into a new frontier, Reddit's Ask Me Anything.

The popular feature allows registered Reddit users to post questions in a real-time exchange with guests who range from authors, actors and CEOs to politicians, including U.S. President Barack Obama.

It was Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne's turn Tuesday morning and the instant reviews weren't great.

The leader of the minority Liberal government spent about an hour fielding only a handful of the dozens of questions posted on issues such as updating provincial liquor laws and electoral reform.

Wynne ruled out changes to Ontario's liquor laws that could expand sales to grocery stores, as B.C. is doing, CityNews reported. But she dangled the possibility of tweaking beer sales.

[ Related: Kathleen Wynne to answer any and all questions on Reddit ]

“We need to make sure we make socially responsible decisions about the distribution of alcohol,” Wynne responded to a questioner.

“I understand that people want this to be more convenient, but my job is to weigh that against social issues like public health and the safety of minors. But we are in conversation with the Ontario Craft Brewers Association and we’re looking at ways to modernize beer distribution."

Wynne also nixed the idea of changing the electoral system away from the first-past-the-post approach in favour of something that would more reflect the overall popular vote. Ontarians voted in a 2007 referendum to retain the traditional system, she said, but added she's considering a request by the City of Toronto to use a ranked ballot in the municipal election.

The premier also promised to expand programs to tackle mental illness and to cap the salaries of highly paid Ontario power executives, which have generated anger as residential utility bills soar.

CityNews noted Wynne's shot at Conservative leader Tim Hudak over job-creation.

"Unlike Mr. Hudak, I don’t believe you can create decent jobs by cutting services, programming and undermining unions," Wynne wrote. "We have a six point Ontario Jobs Plan. We’re going to invest in infrastructure, skills development and youth jobs."

Wynne also answered some personal questions on her love of running and her favourite books – Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel and James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

[ Related: The 10 best answers from Tom Hanks’s Reddit AMA ]

Judging from some of the comments, Wynne's performance was less than smashing.

"Disappointed; lots of intelligent questions from well researched Canadians who deserve sincerety not sound-bites," said one commenter who believed at least one of the first three questions was planted.

Another called it the worst ask-me-anything session he or she'd ever read. While another questioned whether Wynne's staff understood how to use social media.

"What a horrible AMA. How may handlers are surrounding her crafting her carefully worded responses?"

"Less than an hour, less than 10 questions, non-answers for tough questions," another commenter wrote. "She certainly acts like a politician."

A little cruel, maybe, but the web is not known for bleeding hearts, is it?