Peter Stoffer refuses to use a BlackBerry or any other type of smartphone, but the Nova Scotia member of Parliament says he might be more connected with his constituents than most of his colleagues.
"I'm one of those guys that honestly think there is still room in this world for verbal communications and that's why I have always done it," Stoffer told CTV's Power Play.
"I'm a Luddite. I admit it, but I prefer to speak to my constituents and other people either face to face or over the phone."
And Stoffer, whose parliamentary website features basic Twitter and Facebook links as well as his email address, says he may be one of the dying breed of politicians who actually reads and answers most of the letters and emails sent to him.
"In my office all the emails and messages are sent on my desk with the phone numbers so that I can personally call you back and let you know that I have received it," Stoffer said.
"I just find that when people actually hear my voice and hear that it is actually me that they are talking to, they have a different tone and I think they really appreciate the fact that I have actually read their concerns and am answering to them."
However, Stoffer said his refusal to be hard-wired has caused problems with the powers that be in the New Democratic Party.
"They were rather perturbed by the fact that they can't get a hold of me 24 hours a day," he said noting that he does check his home and office answering machine on a regular basis.
"I am sort of in contact in the so-called electronic universe; it is just that it is nice to know that when I leave the office or when I go somewhere I don't have to be 24 hours a day looking into my pocket to see if my BlackBerry rang."
