Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his government will be setting aside $5.5 million to combat “disinformation” as he struggles with accusations of benefitting from Chinese Communist Party election interference.
Prime Minister Trudeau announced the $5.5 million investment into “combatting disinformation” on Monday at a press conference in Ottawa saying, “I can announce were are investing 5.5 million dollars to build capacity of civil society organisations to combat disinformation.”
“Because we know disinformation often generated abroad can be a real threat to our elections and it’s a threat that the federal government cannot combat alone,” he added.
While it is unknown which organisations and groups will benefit from the $5.5 million, the Trudeau government has a history of funding questionable groups and individuals in recent years.
Among those who were handed Trudeau government cash, was alleged “anti-hate” activist Leith Marouf who was revealed to be a prolific antisemite on social media.
Marouf’s group, the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC), saw its funding cut in August of last year after Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Minister Ahmed Hussen called his statements “reprehensible and vile.”
