The federal government has unveiled a public education campaign to tell Canadians what to think when reading the news.
Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould recently announced that the government has assembled a team of faceless bureaucrats, including Justin Trudeau’s national security advisor, to re-educate Canadians about the threat of so-called “fake news.”
Gould also announced $7 million for a campaign to make the public aware of what the government deems “misinformation.”
“Citizens who recognize fraud, misinformation and manipulation when they see it online are less likely to fall victim to it,” said Gould.
Neither Gould nor the Democratic Institutions website identified how the government will define this alleged fake news.
The government is also demanding that social media companies step in and censor their clients in the name of stopping this undefined “misinformation.”
“The government is looking for concrete actions to increase transparency, authenticity and integrity of their systems to help safeguard our election,” the website says.
These new media monitoring policies will not apply to the print media sector, which was recently awarded with a $595 million handout from the Trudeau government.
While the federal government is injecting media with millions of taxpayer dollars going into an election year, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the government wants to protect the “vital role that independent news media play in our democracy and in our communities.”
The government plan also includes getting “monitors” to scour the internet and find government-unapproved content.
The Trudeau government’s announcement did not identify who exactly these monitors are, what part of the bureaucracy they’re from or what their qualifications are — leaving Canadians in the dark as to who is identifying alleged misinformation.
While both Gould’s announcement and the website were sparse with details, the Communication Security Establishment — whose top bureaucrats will be forming part of this re-education team — will be publishing reports on the alleged cyber threats to our democracy in the coming months.
