OTTAWA — The federal government announced Tuesday funding for projects that will help to prevent misleading Covid-19 information and to support social cohesion across the country.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault announced $3 million will be invested in several organizations through the Digital Citizen Initiative’s Digital Citizen Contribution Program. This funding will help combat false and misleading Covid-19 information as well as the racism and stigmatization that are often the result, says the news release.
“We want to remind Canadians to be careful when searching for online information about Covid-19 and to ensure the reliability of the sources. We must be critical news consumers and make informed decisions. And in the present context, there are very real concerns surrounding discrimination and a climate of hate and fear during this uncertain time. As Canadians stand together to defeat the Covid-19 virus, we must stand together to stop xenophobia, racism and misinformation,” said Minister Guilbeault, in the news release.
Some of the activities to be funded include public awareness tools and online workshops, designed to help Canadians become more resilient and think critically about Covid-19 disinformation, says the release. Funded projects will reach Canadians on a national and local scale, online and offline, in minority communities, in both official languages and in Indigenous communities, according to the release.
The following organizations are receiving immediate funding:
Upstream ($95,000)
Project: Information in the Age of Covid-19
MediaSmarts ($654,134)
Project: Critical Thinking in the Digital Age: Countering Coronavirus Misinformation
Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick ($434,725)
Project: Portail de vérification des faits sur le Covid-19 / Fact-Checking portal on Covid-19
COVID-19 : Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec ($330,164)
Project: Dépister la désinfo / Covid-19 : Track the facts
Institute for Canadian Citizenship ($490,880)
Project: Supporting New Canadian Citizens: Dispelling Discriminatory Disinformation Around Covid-19
Digital Public Square ($679,176)
Project: Countering Disinformation Relating to Covid-19
Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic ($301,904)
Project: Empowering, Engaging and Equipping Canadians to Combat Anti-Asian Racism through Online Resources and Social Media: A Study to Advance Policy Development and Systemic Change
Asian Environmental Association ($64,660)
Project: Combating Covid-19 disinformation in Vancouver’s Chinese and Vietnamese language communities
On March 13, 2020, Canadian Heritage’s Digital Citizen Initiative launched a targeted call for proposals to support and amplify current efforts to counter Covid-19 disinformation.
Successful applicants will be rolling out their initiatives beginning this spring.
