Canada condemns alleged Russian interference in 2024 U.S. election

Canada is condemning alleged Russian attempts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election using disinformation campaigns, a day after the Biden administration took a series of actions against the Kremlin.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced multiple actions meant to call out Russia for alleged interference in the November election, including unsealing criminal charges against two employees of state-run media company RT, as well as seizing internet domains officials say are used by the Kremlin to spread disinformation.

In a statement on Thursday, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the Canadian government had been working with the United States and other allies “on this serious matter,” though he could not comment on the ongoing investigation.

“I also condemn in the strongest terms the attempts by Russian state-owned media entity RT to spread disinformation, influence election outcomes, undermine democracy and rules-based international order, and engage in information operations and cyber incidents against Western targets,” he said.

The measures by the U.S., which also include sanctions and visa restrictions, are the latest efforts to disrupt what has been considered a persistent threat from Russia that officials have warned has the potential to sow discord and create confusion among voters.

Washington has said Moscow remains the primary threat to elections.

One of the criminal cases accuses two RT employees of covertly funding a Tennessee-based content creation company with nearly US$10 million to publish English-language videos on platforms including TikTok and YouTube with messages favouring the Russian government’s interests and agenda.

The company, which the U.S. did not identify, disclosed