Prominent business leaders expressed shock and concern about the future of American democracy after a mob breached the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from confirming president-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump.

The response to the riots prompted questions over whether it is best practice for companies to have their leaders publicly voice opinions on current events or whether they should stay mum instead.

“That's the question that a CEO has to ask themselves: Do they feel silence is what employees and shareholders and stakeholders want right now, or do they want a statement?” John Yorke, CEO of marketing agency Rain43, said in a Friday television interview.

“Because this is such a historical situation, I think that brands have the right to speak and share their opinions.”

Bob Pickard, principal at public relations consultancy firm Signal Leadership Communication, said the public has come to expect brands to take a stance on pressing social issues.

“We saw it with #MeToo, we saw it with Black Lives Matter and now we see it with democracy,” he said. “This is the new trend in global public relations: big issues and people expecting to hear from leaders who have courageous things to say about them.”

Pickard said that with the speed of social media, executives now have to show real-time leadership and strike the adequate emotional chord for the moment with their customers and other stakeholders.

However, he also said sending the right message is a “dauntingly difficult” task, particularly for companies with a global presence who may risk alienating certain demographics.

“There should be forethought, planning, a strategy,” he said. “Not every headline needs to be reacted to, but if there's a major thing happening in society that impacts everybody, then I think the chief executive must convene with the C-Suite and decide what the company wants to say.”

Aside from a few exceptions, including the CEOs of Enbridge, Suncor and Sun Life, most Canadians execs are staying out of the fray. BNN Bloomberg reached out to more than two dozen Canadian companies with a presence in the U.S. for comment, with the majority choosing not to respond.

Yorke said it makes sense from the perspective of a Canadian company not to voice strong opinions on events happening outside the country.

"It's kind of like being involved in a family fight: if you're not part of the family, I don't know how much you want to get involved," he said.

Companies condemning the riots may also risk sounding disingenuous if they did not previously come out against Trump now that the president is on his way out, Pickard said.

“If [a CEO] has nothing to lose, if it is easy for them to say it now, well I think there's less respect,” he said. “There is even criticism for that: ‘where were you before?’ There's a backlash, almost.”

He said the reaction from the CEOs also has to be candid enough as not to sound dishonest to their audience.

“Don't use PR over-engineering, don't frame it or polish it too carefully or else people will see it for what it is: an attempt to manipulate and market to them,” he said.

Pickard said events like the riot present an opportunity for leaders to communicate authentically with the public as regular people, creating a stronger sense of connection with the company.

“Companies used to communicate like robots or machines,” he said. “Now they communicate through the chief executive, real people with personalities, feelings, their way of doing things and character … It's a marketing opportunity for some companies and it's a character-building opportunity for other companies.”