Federal fact-checking program paid $370,000 to discourage questioning authority: report

Blacklock’s Reporter has revealed that a government-funded “fact-checking” initiative launched in 2019 by then-Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould spent nearly $370,000 encouraging media and the public to avoid questioning government authority.

Documents obtained through Access to Information by Blacklock's show the program emphasized invoking Canadian values to maintain public trust and avoid appearing partisan while attacking dissenters of Liberal government policy. 

.@KarinaGould "fact checking" program paid researchers $370K to discourage media & public from questioning gov't claims: "Dissenting voices, even just one, can weaken the power of a normative belief."  https://t.co/w7Ymvww9pB @Mark_Kennedy pic.twitter.com/ruLnw1Hwfc

The program, administered by the Ottawa-based contractor Media Smarts, received $369,975 for a project titled Critical Thinking In The Digital Age: Countering Coronavirus Misinformation. A summary of the campaign detailed strategies to encourage compliance with federal advisories, including discouraging even low-risk questions about official information.

“We encouraged Canadians not just to double-check and respond to misinformation and disinformation but to actively spread relevant information they knew was reliable such as public health messaging,” read a project summary.

The program focused on using “social norms” to suppress dissent, claiming that even a single critical voice could undermine public trust in government directives. Researchers emphasized the importance of appealing to Canadian values such as equality, compassion, and pride to foster unquestioning compliance.

“Our messaging made the idea that any response to misinformation or disinformation, including very low-risk examples such as asking a question, could have a significant impact,” researchers wrote.

The contractor’s Check First, Share After campaign urged Canadians to rely exclusively on “trusted” sources, including government websites and recognized experts, while cautioning against listening to critics—even credentialed experts who challenged federal advisories. “Trust information from official government sites,” the campaign advised.

Gould, now Government House Leader, has not commented on the program, which she initially described as part of a $19.4 million Digital Citizen Initiative. At the time, she claimed the program aimed to help Canadians identify “online deceptive practices.”

The more I read about Karina Gould, the more this photo makes sense. pic.twitter.com/hT8yh1KcrW

Media Smarts reported significant media interest in the campaign, which included collaboration with outlets such as CBC, CTV, and The Globe and Mail. The initiative also recruited over 50 social media influencers to promote government messaging, though their identities were not disclosed.

“A brief for social media influencers was developed, and outreach was conducted with potential influencers,” the summary stated, boasting of over 160 promotional posts.

Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.