In a move that would make Orwell blush, the Department of Canadian Heritage spent over $128,000 of your tax dollars to monitor Facebook and Twitter posts from Canadians who dared to speak out in support of Israel or criticize Justin Trudeau—after Hamas terrorists slaughtered and kidnapped civilians, including eight Canadians, on October 7, 2023.

According to Access to Information records uncovered by Blacklock’s Reporter, the surveillance contract was handed to the UK-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). The job? Track what the government labelled “right wing responses to the conflict” and compile reports on “extremism, hate and disinformation.” Translation: spy on Canadian citizens for having the wrong opinions about terrorism, immigration, or Trudeau.

.@CdnHeritage paid $128K to track social media posts by friends of @IsraelInCanada following October 7: 'Several influential accounts on Twitter were staunchly pro-Israel.' https://t.co/nt6LnFMpWB @CIJAinfo @imondouisabelle pic.twitter.com/T5YUYWMFh3

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) May 5, 2025

While actual pro-Hamas mobs flooded the streets of major Canadian cities—waving terrorist flags, chanting for intifada, storming campuses and harassing Jewish Canadians—Ottawa’s priority was to target critics of this anti-Canadian lunacy. The peaceful, pro-Israel Canadians who objected to Hamas sympathizers taking over public spaces were the ones flagged for monitoring.

The monitors weren’t watching terrorist recruiters or actual threats to national security—they were watching you. 

Pro-Israel voices, journalists, social media commentators, and advocacy groups were all fair game. “Prominent news sources” were specifically targeted, and that included well-known conservative or independent media outlets like Rebel News and True North. They also zeroed in on grassroots Jewish organizations and social media influencers who challenged the federal government’s sluggish response to antisemitic hate marches in major Canadian cities.

One internal report warned that “top performing tweets” among so-called “right wing extremists” alleged Trudeau had indirectly funded Hamas through donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Others accused groups like CUPE and the National Council of Canadian Muslims of aiding or excusing terrorism. These weren’t fringe conspiracy theorists—they were ordinary Canadians demanding answers from a government that wrote cheques to UNRWA while it employed Hamas operatives.

Another document examined by Blacklock's, A Snapshot Of Canadian Right Wing Extremists’ Discussions About The Israel-Hamas Conflict, labeled criticism of Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks, and even NDP MP Heather McPherson as dangerous “extremism.” Saks, a Jewish MP, was criticized for her government's inaction and UNRWA support—criticism that apparently qualified as hate speech in the eyes of these monitors.

I mean, we’ve always known @YaaraSaks was stupid, that she’d say anything she was told to say. But we have a new world record here. pic.twitter.com/HgkhnlJAR7

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) March 14, 2024

The report even noted that pro-Israel Canadians felt disproportionately targeted by law enforcement—though conveniently failed to mention whether those feelings were justified. Nor did it explain the purpose or public benefit of this taxpayer-funded surveillance scheme.

Instead, it depicted legitimate concerns about antisemitic protests and government inaction as dangerous rhetoric. “Several influential accounts particularly on Twitter have taken a staunch pro-Israel position,” the ISD warned, fretting that these users were trying to “equate support for Palestinian civilians with support for Hamas.”

Among the flagged content were Facebook posts from large Canadian Jewish advocacy groups, tweets by independent journalists, and commentary from retired military personnel and public safety experts expressing frustration with government messaging—or lack thereof—on Hamas and its sympathizers within Canada.

This wasn’t intelligence gathering. This was political policing—with a six-figure price tag.

And while friends of Israel were being watched, flagged, and catalogued for expressing outrage at terrorism, the government that hired the monitors remained tight-lipped about their own responsibility for funding groups now under scrutiny for links to Hamas.

The surveillance project concluded in June 2024, but the chilling message remains: In Trudeau’s Canada, waving a terrorist flag is fine. But criticize it? And they’ll pay foreign agents to track your every word.

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