Disinformation an ‘existential threat’ to Canadian democracy: Hogue

Disinformation and misinformation campaigns represent an “existential threat” to Canadian democracy according to the foreign interference commission.

Justice Marie-Josée Hogue’s final report on foreign interference in Canada found “information manipulation” poses the “single biggest threat to our democracy.”

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“It is noxious, and it is powerful, it poses a major risk to Canadian democracy. If we do not find ways of addressing it, misinformation and disinformation have the ability to distort our discourse, change our views, and shape our society,” the report read.

The Hogue commission’s sprawling 860-page report, released Tuesday, makes 51 recommendations to improve the Canadian government’s response to foreign interference threats.

Hogue concluded that while the federal government has improved that response, it must “find ways of reacting more swiftly” to counter what she considers an evolving threat.

More to come.