Expert: From COVID-19 conspiracies to rigged voting machines, misinformation plagues federal election

Misinformation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic is playing a larger-than-expected role in the federal election, fuelling protests and support for the People’s Party of Canada, experts say. Throughout the election, hostile protests have dogged the campaign of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. On Monday, anti-vaccination protests targeted hospitals across the country – the ongoing protests have also garnered significant media coverage, getting more attention than issues like Afghanistan or gun control. (National Post)

Here is expert from McGill University that can provide comment on this issue:

Aengus Bridgman, PhD candidate, Department of Political Science

“Canadians are rightly concerned about the dangerous impacts of misinformation and disinformation, particularly during our most important democratic moments. The Canadian Election Misinformation Project, the first of its kind in Canada, brings together the best techniques in social and traditional media monitoring alongside daily surveying of Canadians. The full team will be on the front lines of defending the Canadian election against bad actors.”

Aengus Bridgman is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science, a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship and a research fellow with the Media Ecosystem Observatory. His research focuses on the participation and motivation of online political activists, the Canadian information ecosystem, and how social media is consequential for politics.

aengus.bridgman [at] mail.mcgill.ca (English, French)