Now more than ever, Canadians need reliable news and information. The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced today that the Government of Canada is investing $3 million 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.
This support will help fund activities, such as public awareness tools and online workshops, to help Canadians become more resilient and think critically about COVID-19 disinformation. 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.
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)
