By Rebel News | Created at 2025-03-25 21:41:33 | Updated at 2025-04-04 17:03:33
1 week ago
Canadian officials monitoring the federal election for foreign interference say Elon Musk's public opinions on social media don't count.
“Mr. Musk, or anyone else working under him, does not fall into the category of foreign interference,” Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary to the cabinet for communications at the Privy Council Office, told reporters in French.
Allen Sutherland, assistant secretary to the cabinet for democratic institutions, stated that despite Musk's large following, his online posts are personal opinions. “It’s definitely not clandestine, it’s very public by its very nature,” he said.
Musk frequently uses X to express his views on international politics and has endorsed right-wing political parties and candidates in Europe and Canada.
He notably called former prime minister Justin Trudeau an “insufferable tool” for criticizing the election win of U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he works alongside, leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
NDP MP Charlie Angus attacks U.S. President Trump, calling him a “convicted felon and known predator” and accuses him of using tariffs to “break us as a people.”
He also labels Elon Musk an “oligarch” whose “hate algorithms” threaten Canada. pic.twitter.com/6yEzGY2daK
MP Charlie Angus, an outspoken critic of Musk, earlier called on Elections Canada to investigate the eccentric billionaire and X over concerns of election interference.
“He has formed alliances with right-wing populist leaders, amplified extremist influencers and spread hate disinformation towards marginal groups,” Angus wrote in a prior letter.
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians also signed a petition on revoking Musk’s citizenship, earning support from the New Democrat MP.
Musk is a native of South Africa but has a Regina-born mother.
It claims the Tesla CEO supports the erasure of Canadian sovereignty. “Elon Musk has engaged in activities that go against the national interest of Canada,” reads the petition.
Nanaimo, B.C. author Qualia Reed initiated the petition on February 20, and has reached 376,994 signatures as of March 23, when Prime Minister Mark Carney called a snap election.
The radical left wants to strip @elonmusk of his Canadian citizenship.
Never forget, they maintain that terrorists can remain naturalized Canadians. https://t.co/HZexEblB2i
Musk has not yet commented on Mark Carney, Trudeau’s replacement, reported Global News.
New safeguards and procedures to monitor and warn the public of election meddling attempts are in place for this year's general election. Though officials are monitoring social media for discord, they say there’s a difference between that and free speech.
Musk, a senior Trump advisor, has rehashed the President’s insults of Trudeau and his facetious remarks of making Canada a U.S. state, over social media.
Stephanie Perrault, chief electoral officer, stated that while she was unaware of specific threats from the U.S., publicly stating an opinion is not considered a malicious act of interference.
“We live in an open society, and that comes with receiving messages and hearing influence from people within Canada and abroad,” he said. “That is not contrary to our electoral process or the rules here in Canada.”
Officials said they would investigate if there was evidence that Musk or any other foreign actor was manipulating social media algorithms to promote a particular message during the election.
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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