Labour minister tweets away the time in House of Commons

OTTAWA - Lisa Raitt seems to have found a cure for ministerial boredom in the House of Commons.

The labour minister announced on Twitter Wednesday that she would live tweet during question period, and proceeded to provide colour commentary - literally.

"lots of purple on the other side of the house today," she wrote in one tweet.

"hedy fry and geoff regan seem to be colour-coordinated seat mates," read another about a pair of Liberal MPs across the aisle.

Unlike other cabinet ministers who use the social media tool to promote policies or attack the opposition, Raitt's tweets focused on less weighty matters.

"M. Bachand's tie is a little askew today," she tweeted.

"wow - some liberals are loud!" and "(Industry Minister) (at)tonyclementMP has the coolest iPhone apps."

Raitt seemed so absorbed in her BlackBerry that at times she didn't applaud on cue with the rest of her caucus, tweeting eight times in the 45-minute period.

Raitt is much less likely to be called on to answer questions in the House after being shuffled from the Natural Resources portfolio to Labour, which is a less contentious file.