TORONTO, March 16, 2022

As the pandemic continues into its third year and the Russian invasion of Ukraine now threatens democracies around the world, we need to do more to counter the growing spread of harmful misinformation and disinformation. Today, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced the launch of a special, targeted call for proposals totalling $2.5 million to fund initiatives that help people identify misinformation and disinformation online.

Through the Government’s Digital Citizen Initiative (DCI), Canadians can respond and help in the global efforts to counter misinformation and disinformation. The DCI supports democracy and social cohesion in Canada by building citizen resilience against misinformation and disinformation, and building partnerships to support a healthy digital information society.

Funded projects will help increase civic literacy, promote critical thinking when it comes to validating sources of information, and build capacity in Canada to fight disinformation online. The department will work closely with several targeted and specialized organizations who are already doing work in this area. Stakeholders will be contacted in the following days.

Since January 2020, Canadian Heritage’s Digital Citizen Contribution Program has provided $8.5 million in funding support to organizations undertaking research or citizen-focused activities, such as public awareness tools and online workshops, to help Canadians become more aware and more resilient, and to think more critically about the information they see and consume online.

These projects are reaching Canadians on a national and local scale, online and offline, in minority communities, in both official languages, and in Indigenous communities. The Digital Citizen Initiative is dedicated specifically to counter disinformation, misleading information, as well as the serious consequences that often result.