Cory Morgan: For All Their Misinformation Rhetoric, Testimony Shows Feds Are Guilty of the Same on Emergencies Act

Police subdue demonstrators in Ottawa on Feb. 19, 2022. Alex Kent/Getty Images

Commentary

Misinformation has been a buzzword often used by the government as it tries to justify intrusive legislation created to control information on the internet such as Bill-C11.

While the government appears cognizant that social media can be an unreliable source of information, they don’t hesitate to embrace questionable information from the internet when it suits their own political agenda. MPs from both the NDP and Liberal parties have cited internet and media sources when trying to justify the invocation of the Emergencies Act.

Testimony from Supt. Pat Morris, head of Ontario Provincial Police’s intelligence unit, at the Emergencies Act inquiry on Oct. 19 was scathing when he said, “I was concerned by comments made publicly by public figures and in the media that I believed were not premised in fact.”

The Emergencies Act is the strongest legislative tool the government has in its arsenal. The seriousness of invoking an act against Canadian citizens that suspends civil rights can’t be overstated. The act should only be used as an absolute last resort and legislators should feel obliged to ensure they have the most accurate information possible about a crisis before considering the use of such a heavy-handed approach to deal with it.

Rather than trying to carefully study and seek accurate information before imposing the Emergencies Act against the Freedom Convoy protesters, government officials zealously went on a campaign to try to paint the protesters as dangerous extremists who must be stopped at all costs. That campaign was based on misinformation.

The list of misinformation spread is long and shameful.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in the House of Commons on Feb. 17 that half of the funding for the protests was coming from the United States and other foreign sources. Those statements inflamed many Canadians. Nobody likes the idea of foreign nations meddling in sensitive issues on our own soil. What Trudeau was claiming was untrue. CSIS Director David Vigneault said in a briefing on Feb. 6—11 days before Trudeau’s assertations—that: “There [are] no foreign actors identified at this point supporting or financing this convoy.”

The CBC falsely reported that Russia could be backing the protest. They were forced to retract that statement. The national broadcaster and the government appeared aligned in trying to make it seem as though there was no broad support for the convoy across the country, and they were willing to stretch the truth to do so.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson along with several Liberal and NDP MPs perpetuated a rumour that arsonists linked to the convoy protest had tried to burn down an apartment building in Ottawa. That allegation was based at the time on a questionable Twitter thread posted by an individual. A police investigation later determined the incident had nothing to do with the protest. It is appalling that elected officials would utter such serious accusations against a group of citizens with no more evidence than a Twitter posting.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino claimed that armed individuals arrested in an incident in Coutts, Alberta, had “ties to a far-right extreme organization with leaders who are in Ottawa.” When pressed on this statement, Mendicino could only claim: “It’s certainly, I think, the conclusion of many individuals and Canadians who are taking a look at social media.” This was again a case of a high-ranking government official making serious and divisive accusations with nothing more than social media postings as substantiation for it.

Trudeau said the convoy protest was a racist movement where protesters carried “Nazi symbolism” and “racist imagery.” He based those statements on pictures posted to social media showing two incidents of people carrying offensive flags. He conveniently forgot to mention how protesters drove a person carrying an American Confederate flag out of their midst.

The government has repeatedly stated that misinformation is dangerous to the nation and must be controlled. If misinformation is so damaging when being spread by mere citizens, what about when it’s being spread by national leaders? If the government had its laws in place countering misinformation right now, would government officials themselves be found in violation of it?

It is doubtful that any officials, whether elected or otherwise, will face serious sanctions for their actions no matter what the Emergencies Act inquiry reveals. Perhaps the inquiry could sow the seeds for what the Liberals’ intended legislation on misinformation should really be like.

Before being able to invoke the Emergencies Act or suspend civil rights to contain pandemics, the government should be compelled to make its case with solid, verifiable intelligence sources. The use of misinformation to justify enacting any form of law suspending charter rights should come with direct legal consequences for legislators. I suspect if elected officials could be found responsible for using misinformation in those circumstances, they would act more carefully in the future when considering invoking the Emergencies Act.

If the government really wants to go to war against misinformation, it should start by controlling its own use of it before trying to enact more laws against citizens.