Briefing: Canadian Election, April 2025

Lately, election after election has shown us that, as predicted, misinformation, including climate disinformation is more commonplace during elections, threatening democracy. Whether it’s outright climate denial or misinformation about solutions, right-wing and far-right parties increasingly use the climate as a wedge issue. 

This year, Canada was not immune to such developments. Throughout April 2025, a small group of highly networked and highly opaque online actors – many with financial and other ties to the fossil fuel industry, conspired to push false narratives about climate change; in particular focusing on unsubstantiated claims that the incumbent government’s planned climate policy will wreak havoc on Canada’s economy and even democracy.

We found this network using increasingly familiar tactics, including utilising a transnational right-wing network of online actors – as many in the United States as in Canada – including politicians, media and self-styled commentators or influencers. We also found probable use of a bot network; and even claims of a stolen election, echoing claims that led to the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021. 

All the while, accountability and transparency from large online platforms and media, if anything, is sliding backwards. Canadian policy makers need to enact strong laws to reduce disinformation and greenwashing and empower the people of Canada, and avoid a future election where such disinformation is even more commonplace, and even more believed.