How taxpayers fund millions into narrative control in Canada

The initiative “Science Up First” seeks to craft narratives and dismantle ‘misinformation’ through grade-six-level graphics and propaganda.

Tamara Ugolini
  |   March 04, 2026   |   News Analysis   |   2 Comments

In the relentless push to "trust the science" during the pandemic, Canadians were bombarded with messages designed to shape thoughts and behaviours. But who really pulls the strings on what counts as truth versus "misinformation"?

In enters Science Up First (SUP), a government-backed initiative that's had over $20 million in public funds funnelled their way, much of it coming through shady, non-competitive channels.

Regina Watteel, a PhD statistician and author of Fisman's Fraud, exposes how this web of influence reeks of propaganda over genuine inquiry or credible research.

SUP was launched in 2021 and quickly became a darling of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), landing a $1.75 million contract to combat "vaccine hesitancy" and boost COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

As Watteel uncovered through Access to Information requests, the funding didn't stop there.

"This initiative received over $20.7 million in federal funding. And a good portion of that was through directed non-competing means, which basically bypassed peer review and the usual oversight," Watteel shares.

Just as initial funding was set to expire in March 2022, SUP co-founders Stan Kutcher (Liberal-appointed Senator and psychologist) and law professor Timothy Caulfield (mapper of misinformation) sprang into action.

Kutcher penned a letter to Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland, CC'ing top officials, basically begging for more cash. At the same time, Caulfield emailed the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) president directly, which appears to have triggered a scramble for "creative" funding solutions to keep the manipulation machine humming along.

What followed was bureaucratic favouritism: CIHR bypassed competition and peer review, labelling the next funding installment an "extension" of a non-existent grant to funnel $1.5 million in just three weeks.

Nine months later, another $1.5 million flowed the same way. This, while most researchers scrape for scraps. As Watteel points out, only 13.6% secure grants averaging $216,000 annually. "It empowered Science Up First to deem dissent misinformation,” she shared.

So they're the arbitrators of what is right, what is wrong, what is misinformation, and what isn't. And it really did take money away from actual research into important things and give it to more of marketing, promotion, and, well, propaganda.

SUP aims to employ highly simplistic, grade-six-level graphics and "debunkings.” Without nuance, complex science is reduced to soundbites.

Meanwhile, CIHR was funding dubious studies such as David Fisman's simulation that flipped real data to vilify the unvaccinated as super-spreaders, justifying government-imposed mandates and travel bans. When Watteel pushed for corrections, CIHR stonewalled the request as they doled out millions to fight "misinformation."

Turns out that none of this was done in a silo.

PHAC utilized social media giants to amplify official narratives while suppressing dissent, creating a self-reinforcing loop and illusion of consensus.

Vanity metrics from these ‘boosts’ helped secure more funds for the likes of SUP, including $14.2 million recently to tackle "disinformation" on climate change and mental health.

As Watteel's preprint reveals, flawed data massively inflated unvaccinated risks, propping up unjust and unethical medical apartheid seen throughout 2021 and 2022.

This is how the weaponization of behavioural science can be used to deploy manipulation tactics to "manage" citizens. From COVID to climate, taxpayer dollars fund a closed network that manufactures consensus, silences debate, and erodes trust.

It's time Canadians demand transparency around whether they’re being informed or influenced.

Please sign our petition to stop the shots!

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Goal: 75,000 signatures
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I demand Canada’s Minister of Health, Marjorie Michel, remove the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from the market. Health Canada has confirmed the presence of an undisclosed plasmid, raising serious safety concerns and invalidating informed consent. I also support the Government of Alberta’s call to halt the vaccines, especially for healthy populations, including young adults and children.

Will you sign?

Tamara Ugolini

Senior Editor

Tamara Ugolini is an informed choice advocate turned journalist whose journey into motherhood sparked her passion for parental rights and the importance of true informed consent. She critically examines the shortcomings of "Big Policy" and its impact on individuals, while challenging mainstream narratives to empower others in their decision-making.

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COMMENTS

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  • Bernhard Jatzeck
    commented 2026-03-04 22:23:21 -0500
    It’s all preparation to get us used to the fact that we’re not at war with the Eurasians nor shall we ever be. The Eurasians have always been our friends. (Or is it the East Asians? It’s hard to tell nowadays as our “allies” and “enemies” keep changing.)
  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2026-03-04 19:43:28 -0500
    What worries me is how many people don’t realize this manipulation of the narrative. They placidly go along with whatever the TV tells them.