As Canada enters the 2025 federal election campaign, Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault has revealed that Elections Canada is actively engaging with major social media platforms to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation. In a press conference on Monday, Perrault confirmed outreach efforts to platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok to ensure they support a secure and truthful electoral process. While he expressed satisfaction with the initial responses, he emphasized the importance of following through with action during the campaign period.
Perrault also cautioned Canadians about the dangers of relying on unverified sources and urged voters to treat Elections Canada as the primary authority for electoral information. To strengthen this effort, the agency is launching a new digital tool called “ElectoFacts,” designed to identify and debunk false narratives circulating online. He warned voters about the growing threat posed by AI-generated “deepfake” content and encouraged the public to scrutinize any questionable material claiming to be from Elections Canada by verifying it on the official website.
This proactive approach comes in the wake of a major report from the Foreign Interference Commission, led by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, which concluded that while foreign interference hasn’t decided any previous election outcomes, misinformation and disinformation now represent the most significant danger to Canadian democracy. Hogue labeled information manipulation as an “existential threat,” whether originating domestically or abroad.
In response, the federal government has reinforced its monitoring mechanisms. Two dedicated panels are now tasked with tracking foreign interference, including the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol Panel and the SITE (Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections) task force, which includes members from CSIS and the RCMP. While past criticisms highlighted a lack of urgency from these bodies, panelists at Monday’s briefing insisted they are now more attuned to identifying and responding to localized threats at the riding level.
Assistant secretary to the cabinet Allen Sutherland acknowledged public concerns, noting that the upcoming election will likely require more visible and frequent responses to misinformation—even in smaller, less impactful cases. He emphasized the importance of transparency and pledged a more proactive stance to ensure the integrity of the electoral process is preserved for all Canadians.
