While Overseas, Trudeau, Mendicino Emphasize Combating ‘Disinformation’

Then-Public Safety minister Marco Mendicino speaks during question period in the House of Commons on Oct. 4, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

During their overseas trips this week, both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino put a spotlight on the issue of “disinformation,” emphasizing Canada’s focus on the issue on the international stage.

Mendicino tweeted Nov. 19 that Canada will host a summit for other G7 countries next year to combat “disinformation.”

“Taking a leading role at the G7, Canada has invited counterpart interior and public safety ministers here for a summit to tackle disinformation, which is one of the most pervasive threats to all our democracies right now,” he wrote.

Mendicino made a similar announcement on Nov. 17 at the G7 summit in Germany with interior and security ministers from other countries. He tweeted that when it comes to “addressing the rise of mis- and disinformation online, the G7 stands united.”

A summit in Canada would serve as a way to “flip the script, and to get ahead of the curve of disinformation,” he said.

“This is where we think that Canada and the G7 can show leadership.”

Mendicino said the “marketplace for disinformation” is much greater than the “marketplace for reliable information” and that Canadians need help to determine which is which.

He also said big tech and social media platforms need to make sure they are “adhering to the terms and conditions of their own user agreements” to challenge disinformation.

Regulating Online Content

A similar message was advanced by Trudeau overseas. At the Business 20 Summit in Bali on Nov. 14, he said Canada intends to regulate online “harassment and violence.”

Trudeau said Canada “is leading on the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence.” He repeated Mendicino’s comment about big technology companies, saying they have a responsibility to “address online harassment and violence to ensure trust in technology.”

“While always ensuring and defending free speech, we must make it clear that it cannot be OK to bully and attack people online,” the prime minister said.

The federal government has put forward Bill C-11, or the Online Streaming Act, which if passed by the Senate will allow Canada to regulate all online content, including user-generated content and online creators. This was a departure from previous promises that Bill C-11 would not regulate the everyday use of social media by Canadians.

While in Germany, Mendicino also said high school students need to be educated on how to identify “disinformation” as well as fraudulent emails, texts, and online scams, because they are prevalent and sophisticated.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.