Tony Clement Calls Teenager 'Jack Ass' on Twitter

Seems like Tony Gazebo can't handle a little gentle criticism of his spelling habits.

Ugh, this guy, sometimes. Tony Clement, the president of the Treasury Board, called a 15-year-old boy from his Ontario riding a "jack ass" after the teen called out the cabinet minister on his poor spelling, according to the Toronto Star. Clement sent a tweet while watching Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night, writing that “Coach’s Corner gave me a lot to think about tonite.” Enter Keith Pettinger of Parry Sound, Ont., who tweeted back: "... if you can’t spell, how can you run Canada’s treasury?" Clement then took a day to respond to young Pettinger, eventually sending him two direct messages, which according to the Toronto Star, read: "Ha ha ur funny" and "It's 'don't know', not 'dunno'. Jack ass." Note that Pettinger never wrote "dunno" in any of his tweets sent to Clement, leading Pettinger to apologize for "calling out" Clement, adding that he "just wanted someone so involved with my, and Canada's money to spell properly." Clement then apologized for offending Pettinger, saying he should have been more polite. (Coincidentally, this is the second time Clement has called a young man named "Keith" a jack ass on Twitter. In 2010, he called Keith Torrie, the national director of Young Liberals of Canada, the very same word for questioning why John Baird had a Harry Rosen bag on a flight from Ottawa to Toronto.) We'll add that he might want to endeavor to spell like a grown man, and not an over-caffeinated tween, to avoid such dust-ups in the future.

Coach's Corner gave me a lot to think about tonite...

— Tony Clement (@TonyclementCPC) January 8, 2012

“@TonyclementCPC: Coach's Corner gave me a lot to think about tonite...”Tonight* ...if you can't spell how can you run Canada's treasury?

— Keith Pettinger (@KeithPettinger) January 8, 2012