Canadians’ growing distrust of traditional media — not foreign interference— is driving the rise of alternative and far-right news sources, according to a Department of Foreign Affairs memo. Blacklock's Reporter says analysts from the department’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) office debunked allegations that Russian bots were amplifying dissent through conservative media in Canada.“RRM Canada observed no indication of false amplification and assesses the increased popularity of these sources is very likely both organic and domestic in nature,” the memo stated.The report, titled Foreign Interference And Right Wing Politics: The Canadian Context, attributed the growth of outlets like The Post Millennial, Spencer Fernando, and Rebel News Network to declining trust in traditional news outlets among right-leaning Canadians. These platforms often had greater social media reach than established outlets like the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, or National Post, analysts wrote.The memo specifically addressed claims made by the National Observer and Press Progress that right-wing discussions on social media were driven by bots linked to foreign actors. .“Articles in the National Observer and Press Progress have made claims that conservative political discussions on social media are driven by inauthentic automated accounts, i.e., bots,” the memo noted. “While these stories are not necessarily inaccurate, Rapid Response Mechanism Canada could not replicate the findings.”The National Observer and Press Progress had published stories in 2019 alleging that Twitter bots were inflating hashtags like “Trudeau Must Go” and skewing Alberta political debates. However, the RRM memo concluded, “While some automation was observed in both these cases, RRM Canada does not assess that right wing discussions are primarily driven by false amplification on Twitter. Given this low level of foreign content or false amplification, it is unlikely a foreign actor had significant impact on Canadian audiences.”The findings contradicted earlier statements from Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who in 2020 accused Russian agents of stoking chaos through disinformation. “Trolls and bots are dispatched to stoke anxiety and in some cases inflame debate around sensitive issues,” LeBlanc told reporters. “Fake news not only masquerades as the truth, it masquerades as legitimate political debate.”The memo, submitted to counsel for the Commission on Foreign Interference, ultimately highlighted a domestic shift in Canadian media consumption. “The move away from traditional news sources may indicate a decrease in trust among traditional outlets among right-leaning Canadians,” the document concluded.
