Cabinet used a costly “Digital Citizen Initiative” to fund partisan research at taxpayers’ expense, Access To Information records show. The Initiative launched by then-Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould polled Black people on whether they voted Liberal and hired Liberal publicists to monitor “anti-Liberal” media.

“Canada’s best defence against threats to democracy remains an engaged and informed public,” Gould said in launching the 2019 Initiative with $19.4 million in four-year funding. “By building their skills Canadians can better understand online deceptive practices, recognize disinformation and be less susceptible to online manipulation.”