New Democrat MP Charlie Angus is looking on Elections Canada to launch an investigation into Elon Musk and his social media platform X, saying he’s involved about potential interference by the tech billionaire within the subsequent federal election.
In a two-page letter to Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault, Angus mentioned Musk has been enjoying a job in latest elections in a wide range of international locations, donating tens of millions of {dollars} to conservative candidates and utilizing X, previously generally known as Twitter, to amplify the political messages of candidates he favours.
“He has shaped alliances with right-wing populist leaders, amplified extremist influencers and unfold hate disinformation in the direction of marginal teams,” Angus wrote.
Issues over ‘X’s large energy’
Now, Angus wrote, Musk is getting concerned in Canadian politics, “praising the present chief of the Conservative Social gathering, aligning himself with far-right influencers and their platforms and criticizing the present prime minister.”
Musk, the world’s richest man, was born in South Africa however lives in america and holds citizenship there. His mom is from Saskatchewan, and Musk moved to Canada in 1989, attending Queen’s College for 2 years. Ontario Chronicle was unable to substantiate whether or not Musk at the moment holds Canadian citizenship.
Angus wrote that X “serves as a pathway for Russian misinformation and the rise of hate and threats in Canada. Given X’s large energy, any overt efforts by Mr. Musk to assist a selected social gathering or chief might simply affect our electoral integrity.”
Questions from Ontario Chronicle to Musk and to two of his corporations haven’t but obtained a response.
Angus referred to as on Perrault to launch an investigation into X “and doable avenues for manipulation by Mr. Musk or right-wing influencers,” which he didn’t title, in addition to to insist throughout the upcoming federal election marketing campaign that Musk decide to transparency of the algorithms used on his platform to permit election observers to see whether or not X is interfering by selling or suppressing political posts.
Angus’s letter comes two weeks after Meta proprietor Mark Zuckerberg introduced that his social media platforms like Fb and Instagram would transfer away from fact-checking within the U.S. and would ease content material restrictions worldwide — one thing specialists say might make it simpler for on-line misinformation and international interference to affect the following Canadian election.
In an interview, Angus mentioned what he sees on different platforms is regarding however his letter focused X as a result of he believes Musk’s obvious willingness to make use of X’s algorithm to intervene in different international locations’ affairs makes him the most important menace.
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Angus mentioned if Parliament weren’t prorogued, he would name for committee hearings into the problem.
Matthew McKenna, spokesman for Elections Canada, mentioned it’s as much as the Commissioner of Canada Elections workplace to conduct investigations and implement the Canada Elections Act, relatively than Elections Canada.
Nevertheless, he mentioned Elections Canada does take questions on international interference critically.
“We perceive that within the present context, individuals might need questions on what might or might not represent international interference,” McKenna wrote in an emailed response. “We must always notice that apart from just a few particular exceptions, underneath the Canada Elections Act, all people, Canadian or non-Canadian, are free to specific their views on any matter.”
Angus mentioned he despatched the letter to Elections Canada as a result of he determined it was the extra appropriate workplace.
Timmins-James Bay New Democrat MP Charlie Angus says he’s involved that Elon Musk and his social media platform X might attempt to intrude within the subsequent Canadian election. (Parliament of Canada)
The letter to Elections Canada is each “applicable” and “nicely timed,” mentioned Aengus Bridgman, director of the Media Ecosystem Observatory in Montreal.
“There may be this problem with the first means that political elites and politicians proceed to make use of X as the primary platform and that’s managed and distorted by one particular person who is just not essentially appearing with Canada’s greatest pursuits at coronary heart,” Bridgman mentioned in an interview.
“I believe that is one thing that each Canadian ought to be apprehensive about going into the following election.”
Bridgman mentioned Musk has described X as a platform without spending a dime speech, however in actuality his management of X is appreciable.
“He does have huge affect over what Canadians are seeing on that platform and that is regarding. Any further transparency and communication about that may be very useful and can assist inform the way in which Canadians deal with that platform within the subsequent election.”
Bridgman mentioned one instance of Musk utilizing X to attempt to affect a political consequence is the present German election. Musk has posted his assist for the far-right AfD social gathering.
“These are posts that get tens of tens of millions of views and there have been alarms raised within the European context,” mentioned Bridgman. “There’s the notion that there is an outdoor affect, actually a international interference, in that election.”
Minister of Democratic Establishments Ruby Sahota did not touch upon Angus’s considerations however mentioned defending Canada’s democracy and its electoral programs is a precedence.
“People have the fitting to free speech throughout the bounds of the regulation, and a powerful democracy thrives on open dialogue and numerous views,” mentioned Sahota, itemizing a number of steps the federal authorities has taken to detect and deter election interference.
“Whereas sustaining the liberty of debate, defending Canada’s democracy and elections from threats is a matter we take extraordinarily critically.”
