A group of unelected senior public servants in Ottawa will decide if an incident of ‘fake news’ is considered electoral interference or not – it will be up to the discretion of people typically appointed by the PM
Chances are you will have heard the term “fake news”, and concerns of alleged and actual uses of inaccurate information to unduly influence an election result. While this remains a hot button issue south of our border, we have also had a real example of this here in Canada. During the recent Burnaby South by-election, NDP candidate and party leader Jagmeet Singh was featured in an inaccurate news story suggesting he resided in what was described as a “$5.5-million dollar mansion resplendent with ornate staircases and murals painted on ceilings”. For the record Mr. Singh lives in no such residence -- the incorrect story, as is often the case, was circulated in many social media circles, often by political opponents of Mr. Singh. It is currently unknown who was ultimately responsible. What is more troubling is that inaccurate news stories can be sourced from third party organizations, or individuals from other countries, who may refuse to respect or cooperate with the law...