NDP MP Charlie Angus is spending an increasing amount of his time voicing his anger at American billionaire Elon Musk, calling for Musk to be investigated and accusing him of being antisemitic.
Angus, a prominent member of the NDP caucus, sent a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Stéphane Perrault to request that Elections Canada investigate X and Elon Musk for alleged interference in Canada’s electoral process.
“I am writing to you regarding growing concerns about potential interference in the next federal election by American oligarch Elon Musk and his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which he owns,” wrote Angus.
Angus says that Musk has been throwing around his influence by endorsing right-wing and what he calls “fascist” political leaders across the world and accused Musk of rigging X’s algorithm to support those he endorses.
“Mr. Musk spent over $390 million to support a myriad of conservative candidates, nearly five times more than the $83 million spent by all Canadian political parties combined in the 2021 federal election, all while using his social media platform to amplify his candidates’ political messages,” said Angus.
“We have already seen how the platform X serves as a pathway for Russian misinformation and the rise of hate and threats in Canada. Given X’s huge power, any overt efforts by Mr. Musk to support a particular party or leader could easily impact our electoral integrity.”
Angus ends his letter by calling on Perrault to investigate X’s algorithm and how Musk and “right-wing influencers” can manipulate the next federal election.
While Musk currently supports Trump and the Republican party, he was previously an exclusive supporter of the Democrats, especially on environmental issues.
Angus expanded on his thoughts in an interview with the left-wing outlet MeidasTouch, calling Musk the “broligarchy.”
“It could be a very close election and we cannot have men like Elon Musk, y’know the ‘broligarchy’ of the United States interfering in our country,” said Angus.
Canadian MP Charlie Angus: If Elon Musk is unwilling to respect Canada’s electoral laws, will Elections Canada have the tools to take him on—or shut him down—if necessary? We cannot allow men like Elon Musk, the broligarchy of the United States, to interfere in our country.
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) January 26, 2025 at 7:41 PM
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On Sunday, Angus posted a picture of a First World War memorial while accusing Musk of giving a “fascist salute” and falsely claiming Musk said it was time to “get over Nazi guilt.”
“For Elon Musk to give the fascist salute and say it’s time to “get over nazi guilt” – F**k him. And f**k those who say Canada should bend,” said Angus.
I laid the wreathe for Canadians murdered by Nazis in the Abbaye d'Ardennes. Our young lie in fields all over Europe. They fought to free others from evil. For Elon Musk to give the fascist salute and say it's time to "get over nazi guilt" – Fuck him. And fuck those who say Canada should bend.
— Charlie Angus (@charlieangus104.bsky.social) January 26, 2025 at 2:21 PM
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Angus is referring to a gesture Musk made at a rally celebrating President Trump’s inauguration that was compared to a Nazi-era Roman salute, but Musk confirmed that the motion was unintentional and accused his critics of playing a “dirty trick.”
While Musk did not say that Germans should “get over Nazi guilt,” Angus is referring to comments Musk made at a rally for the anti-immigration German party Alternative for Germany. The tech mogul said that children are not responsible for the crimes of the past and that Germans ought to be proud of their people and culture.
“Children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents,” said Musk.
“It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything.”
While Musk supports the Trump administration’s efforts to quash illegal immigration Musk is a supporter of legal immigration, recently signaling his support for the H1B visa program.
Angus continued to allege that Musk is a part of the extreme right, calling him a fascist who has the ear of the American president.
“I never thought in 2025 we would be dealing with fascists who have the ear of the president. Elon Musk is wrong. There is no such thing as “getting over” the guilt of mass murder,” said Angus.
I never thought in 2025 we would be dealing with fascists who have the ear of the president. Elon Musk is wrong. There is no such thing as "getting over" the guilt of mass murder. On Holocaust Remembrance Day we say Never Again. And we commit to never forgot.
— Charlie Angus (@charlieangus104.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 2:48 PM
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True North reached out to Tesla’s media contact for a comment on Musk’s behalf, but no response was received.
True North reached out to Elections Canada who said that Elections Canada and the chief electoral officer had received Angus’ letter complaining about Musk, but said Angus had sent the letter to the wrong agency, as Elections Canada does not conduct investigations.
“Elections Canada does not conduct investigations. Therefore, we will encourage Mr. Angus in our response to contact the Commissioner of Canada Elections, the independent body in charge of enforcing the Canada Elections Act,” read Elections Canada’s statement.
The Commissioner of Canada Elections’ office told True North that they are aware of Angus’ letter, but are only responsible for conducting investigations during the pre-election and election period.
“However, generally, issues such as disinformation, use of foreign funds by third parties or undue foreign influence are only regulated by the Act during the pre-election or the election period,” reads the Commissioner of Canada Elections’ statement.
Both Elections Canada and the Commissioner of Canada Election reiterated their commitment to combating foreign interference.
“That said, the Commissioner takes all allegations of foreign interference seriously. If allegations of the kind described in Mr. Angus’ letter were to arise during a pre-election or election period, the Commissioner would review them to determine if the circumstances contravened the Act,” reads the Commissioner of Canada Elections’ statement.
