Montréal, March 3, 2025 – The Foreign Interference Commission’s Final Report, released on January 29, 2025, has confirmed what the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance (RCDA) has asserted throughout the Commission’s proceedings: information manipulation is the “single biggest risk” and an “existential threat” to Canada’s democracy.
The report correctly identifies the Russian regime as “the prime example” of this threat and highlights a significant “gap in Canada’s capacity to identify and counter” this type of foreign interference. This failure is particularly concerning, as the Russian government’s information manipulation operations have been well-documented for years, notably in the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Throughout the public inquiry, RCDA played an active role in representing the Russian-Canadian community. With full standing in the Commission’s process, RCDA:
- Advocated for stronger protections against foreign interference, particularly against the Russian regime’s information manipulation operations.
- Petitioned the Commission to revise its initial conclusion that Russian propaganda did not target Canada and its elections — the final report acknowledged that Russia has actively spread disinformation to sow discord.
- Submitted eight key recommendations to the Commission, several of which were reflected in the Final Report’s recommendations.
- Cross-examined nearly 100 witnesses, including the Prime Minister, Ministers, and high-ranking officials from all the agencies involved in responding to foreign interference.
While RCDA believes the Commission should have gone further in recognizing the full extent of the Russian government’s meddling in Canada’s democracy, the Commission’s Final Report must nonetheless serve as a wake-up call.
RCDA urges all levels of government, particularly the federal government, to treat the Russian regime’s interference as an existential threat to democracy and to take immediate and decisive action. Every Canadian must take this threat seriously—the window of opportunity to act is closing fast. The Commission’s recommendations, particularly recommendations 10, 11 and 51, must be implemented without delay.
RCDA is a volunteer-led non-profit organization founded in response to Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine. Its mission is to support and empower members of the Russian Canadian community who uphold the values of democracy, human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law. The RCDA stands ready to work with policymakers and civil society to implement these recommendations and hold the Russian regime accountable.
Link to Executive Summary of the Commission’s Final Report
On September 7, 2023, the Canadian government initiated a public inquiry into alleged meddling in the Canadian elections of 2019 and 2021, by Russia and China in particular.
RCDA has been granted standing in said public inquiry. We want to represent Russian Canadians who — just like us — value highly the integrity of democratic and election processes. We believe any interference, attempted or actual, into Canadian federal elections is unacceptable and must be investigated.
At this stage, the inquiry will investigate any types of possible foreign interference in Canadian elections. For example, this could have been the Russian embassy influencing members of the Russian-Canadian community, or political activism by organizations with ties to or funding from the Russian government, or it could have been the spread of disinformation among the Russian-speaking Canadian population by agents of the Russian government.
If you have information on any attempts by the Russian government (or the governments of other countries) to influence Canadian elections, reach out to us via contactus@rcda.ca or telegram bot @contactRCDAbot.
If you know anyone who has encountered such cases, ask them to come forward and contact us.
Please help us spread awareness about this inquiry.
More info:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66745270