Just a few short months before Justin Trudeau announced he would step down as Liberal leader and prime minister, Canada's federal government was looking for ways to unite Canadians on a number of divisive issues.

A presentation created by the Department of Canadian Heritage and delivered in November 2024, uncovered by The Canadian Press, says the federal government was aiming to decrease polarization and increase trust in its agencies while fighting misinformation and disinformation.

The document cited three past meetings of senior government officials since 2019, with the report highlighting how the issue had been a “broad and perennial interest” to federal deputy ministers.

Divisive issues in other countries' elections outlined in the presentation included “affordability, inflation, housing, immigration, racism, sexism, transphobia, diversity and false information,” noted the Canadian Press.

However, the presentation suggested divisions in Canada had not been as hostile as in other similar nations. Nevertheless, officials were seeking ways to “engage” and “bring back” segments of Canadians who were “were veering away from democratic norms” in late 2024.

One area of concern was the need to “pre-bunk” narratives before they spread, the presentation said, while calling for further public education to refute misinformation and disinformation. Media literacy, critical thinking and civic engagement were other areas the presentation focused on.

The creation of a Canada-wide digital media literacy plan, along with an effort to strip financial incentives related to false information, were also suggestions. Another suggestion was to require AI-generated content to be labelled as such.

Government officials did have some semblance of self-awareness, noting “there is a tension in having the public sector intervene when distrust in public institutions is on the rise.”

We’re Done Getting Screwed!

Ottawa’s been screwing the West for decades — Trudeau's carbon taxes, Carney’s smug elitism, and laws like Bill C-69 that sabotage our prosperity. The message from the East? Shut up, pay up, and stay in your place. We’re done with that. And we think you are too. That's why Rebel News is launching a campaign to give Albertans and the West a voice. We’re going to conduct a province-wide poll on Alberta independence, hold emergency townhalls, and do fearless journalism that tells the truth about how badly Ottawa treats the West. Aren’t you fed up with being trampled by the Laurentian elite?