Strengthening Canada’s Response to Disinformation Through International Practices

Executive Summary

This policy memo evaluates Canada’s current measures to combat disinformation, identifies key gaps, and proposes policy options to address such gaps by drawing upon international best practices from Finland, Ukraine, Estonia, and Germany. The analysis offers evidence-based recommendations tailored to Canada’s context, including implementing a National Media Literacy Curriculum, creating a Media Literacy Toolkit, and establishing a Centre for Strategic Communications to monitor and counter disinformation. It is also recommended that Canada invest in OSINT training for journalists and expand international collaboration with experts from Finland, Ukraine, and Estonia.

Background

Disinformation presents a growing threat to Canada’s national security, public trust, and democratic integrity. State-sponsored actors, particularly Russia, use digital platforms to manipulate public discourse, spread false narratives, and deepen polarisation within Canadian society. Other foreign actors, including China, Iran, and North Korea, have also engaged in disinformation activities targeting Canada. Canada’s open democracy and advanced digital infrastructure make it an appealing target for these campaigns, necessitating the need for a coordinated, strategic response. Effectively addressing these challenges will require close collaboration across all levels of government, including provincial and territorial partners, given their responsibilities in education, community services, and public engagement.

To date, Canada has taken steps to address disinformation through initiatives led by Public Safety Canada, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the Department of National Defence (DND), and Global Affairs Canada (GAC), including the Digital Citizen Initiative, the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol, and the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism. However, these efforts fail to address the complexity and scale of evolving disinformation tactics. To address these challenges, Canada requires a cohesive, proactive strategy that integrates these efforts while adapting best practices from international leaders such as Finland, Ukraine, Estonia, and Germany, which have developed effective, forward-looking approaches to countering disinformation through national education strategies, coordinated communications, digital literacy, and interagency cooperation.

Why Current Efforts are Insufficient

Despite these initiatives, Canada’s response to disinformation remains fragmented and reactive;

• Educational initiatives are either absent or limited to specific schools, with no standardized or compulsory approach nationwide.
• Existing programs operate independently, across different levels of government, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for collaboration.
• Canada lacks a centralized unit to monitor and respond to disinformation campaigns as they unfold, a gap exploited by foreign actors.

International Best Practices in Disinformation Response

Finland: Cross-Sector Collaboration and Media Literacy

Finland is globally recognized for its effective counter-disinformation strategies, which are grounded in a comprehensive and proactive approach. This approach combines cross-sector collaboration, the integration of digital literacy into public education, and public trust. Finland’s whole-of-society engagement is supported by a strong tradition of media literacy and institutional transparency, resulting in a society highly resilient to disinformation.

1. Finland’s Cross-sector Collaboration: The Finnish government collaborates with private companies, civil society, academia, and media to combat disinformation. Government task forces made up of government officials, experts, and researchers monitor, analyze threats, and propose targeted policy responses to address specific challenges effectively.

2. Finland’s Mandatory Media Literacy in Public Education: Digital and media literacy is integral to Finland’s counter-disinformation efforts and has been made a mandatory part of its national curriculum. This education begins as early as primary school, starting at age six, and continues throughout students’ academic journeys. The curriculum focuses on critical thinking, source evaluation, and recognizing media bias. Beyond schools, libraries serve as hubs for public education, offering resources and training to adults and seniors. Non-governmental organizations and local leaders also play an active role in outreach, ensuring broad accessibility to these tools and skills across the community.

Ukraine: Strategic Communications, Real-Time Fact-Checking, and OSINT Training

Ukraine has become a global leader in countering disinformation, particularly when sustaining information warfare from Russia. By leveraging innovative tools and training, Ukraine empowers journalists and the public to identify and combat false narratives effectively.

1. Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security: Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security leads national efforts to counter disinformation and information warfare. The centre analyzes disinformation trends, crafts counter-narratives, and disseminates accurate information to combat malign propaganda, especially from Russia. Working in collaboration with government agencies, organizations, and international partners, the centre also promotes media literacy, equipping citizens with tools to recognize and resist false narratives.

2. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Training for Journalists: Ukraine has prioritized extensive training in OSINT techniques for journalists, researchers, and government actors. These techniques enable professionals to verify information, analyze digital content, and expose malicious narratives effectively. Training covers the critical assessment of sources, geolocation analysis, and the authentication of multimedia content, such as images and videos. This focus has strengthened the capacity of Ukrainian media professionals to report accurately and debunk disinformation, creating further public trust in credible information sources and a more informed and resilient society.

Other International Best Practices

Estonia’s strategy involves the creation of an interagency task force to combat the influence of false messaging on its democratic processes and enhance media literacy for students in high school. Germany has implemented several proactive strategies, specifically the Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG), which both mandates social media platforms to remove illegal content such as hate speech and disinformation, ensuring accountability through penalties and transparency requirements.

Policy Recommendations for Canada

Digital and Media Literacy

1. National Media Literacy Curriculum

While curriculum development falls under provincial jurisdiction, Public Safety Canada, in coordination with Canadian Heritage and provincial partners, can support the development and implementation of a National Digital and Media Literacy Curriculum by funding awareness campaigns, developing outreach materials, and promoting shared standards for digital and media literacy education for elementary and high school students (K–12). Educating children early is essential, as young people are among the most active users of digital platforms and are frequently exposed to mis- and disinformation. Without the tools to critically evaluate online content, they are more vulnerable to manipulation, bias, and false narratives that can shape their worldview, decision-making, and trust in democratic institutions. Equipping students with the tools to critically assess the information they encounter is essential to building long-term societal resilience to disinformation. This curriculum would teach students to:

• Identify credible sources and distinguish between reliable and unreliable content.
• Verify facts and recognize manipulative narratives.
• Understand the mechanics of social media algorithms and their role in shaping information consumption, including the risks of echo chambers and bias.

Through practical exercises, such as analyzing news articles and debunking viral claims, students would gain real-world skills to combat disinformation. Teacher training and institutional support would be prioritized to ensure educators are equipped to handle evolving disinformation tactics. Provincial collaboration would facilitate the rollout of this curriculum nationwide.

2. Media Literacy National Toolkit

A Media Literacy National Toolkit could be developed to provide resources for the public. This toolkit would be accessible online and available in public libraries to ensure low-barrier access and inclusivity. Resources would include educational guides and workshops for librarians and staff to support community engagement, as well as materials to answer public inquiries and facilitate self-directed learning. The toolkit would be offered in both official languages, with accessibility features that meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines to ensure usability for individuals with visual, auditory, or cognitive impairments. The toolkit should also be available in Indigenous languages, such as Cree, Ojibway, Dene, Inuktitut, and Mi’kmaq, as well as other languages widely spoken across Canada, including Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic, Tagalog, Spanish, and Ukrainian.

Including these languages from the outset would promote equitable access, strengthen public resilience, and help ensure that all Canadians are equipped with the tools needed to navigate today’s information environment. Expanding the toolkit’s reach in this way would also reduce reliance on siloed, one-time translation efforts and encourage a more integrated, inclusive approach to the Media Literacy National Toolkit. Delivery would require collaboration with provincial, territorial, and municipal partners, including library networks and community organizations, to ensure regional relevance and effective implementation.

This Canadian media literacy initiative would align with existing Canadian frameworks, such as the Digital Charter and provincial education standards. To ensure relevance, the curriculum and toolkit would include regular assessments and feedback from educators, students, and the public. Funding would be required for curriculum development, teacher training, the creation of the toolkit, and a public awareness campaign that would promote these resources, ensuring their widespread adoption and utilization.

Conclusion

While Canada has acknowledged the growing threat of disinformation, current efforts remain fragmented and inadequate to address its scale and complexity. Existing policy frameworks, awareness campaigns, and international partnerships have not yet been translated into integrated, sustained action. To strengthen national resilience, Canada must adopt a proactive, coordinated strategy grounded in international best practices. Key recommendations include implementing a National Media Literacy Curriculum, developing a Media Literacy Toolkit, and establishing a Centre for Media Integrity and Disinformation Resilience. Canada should also invest in Open-Source Intelligence training for journalists and deepen collaboration with international experts from Finland, Ukraine, Estonia, and Germany.