Russian disinformation operation aimed to "boost support for Poilievre, undermine support for Trudeau"

A new report on foreign interference in Canada has confirmed that a Russian disinformation operation has been producing content with the purpose of “boosting support for Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and undermining support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.”

The anti-Trudeau content in question that was being produced by Russia used headlines aimed to “divide and polarize” Canadians, “often supplying inaccurate descriptions of the Liberal government’s policies and ridiculing Trudeau.”

A separate investigation earlier this month also found that far-right influencers in Canada and the U.S. were on the receiving end of Kremlin kickbacks.

It’s of course unclear exactly how much support for Poilievre and the Conservatives is due to disinformation and manufactured outrage against Justin Trudeau. However, this could help explain how the Conservatives could be polling at a majority level despite Poilievre’s net favourability being consistently poor. (He currently sits at -16%, its lowest point in over a year.)

As Canada’s Foreign Interference Commission continues, leading up to the final report due by the end of the year, we’ll likely have more clarity on how Russia has interfered with our democracy.

A reminder that Pierre Poilievre still refuses to read the NSICOP report on how foreign interference has infiltrated Canadian politics, despite the fact that a large majority of Canadians — including 60% of Conservatives — want him to do so.

“A new report on foreign interference in Canada confirms that a Russian disinformation operation has been producing content with the purpose of ‘boosting support for Pierre Poilievre and undermining support for Justin Trudeau.’” https://t.co/rn5ZwAlXg6
— Cult MTL (@cultmtl) October 1, 2024

Russian disinformation operation aimed to “boost support for Poilievre, undermine support for Trudeau”

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