More than 25% of Canadians have encountered false political content on social media in the lead-up to the April 28 federal election, according to a new study warning of a sharp surge in online disinformation and scams.
Released by the Media Ecosystem Observatory (MEO), the report outlines a significant rise in misleading materials, from deepfake videos to deceptive investment ads disguised as legitimate news stories.
Experts note that today’s disinformation is more advanced, divisive, and difficult for the public to detect than in past elections. One alarming trend is the rise of Facebook ads imitating well-known news outlets to promote fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. These ads often feature fake headlines and altered videos to lure users to scam websites.
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“This isn’t just basic misinformation—it’s highly polished and intentionally crafted to resemble real political journalism,” said Aengus Bridgman, MEO’s executive director. “Social platforms are being flooded with content designed to shake confidence in both politics and media.”
This federal election is the first since Meta, Facebook’s parent company, restricted access to Canadian news across its platforms in response to the Online News Act (Bill C-18), which mandates payment to publishers for shared news content.
Despite the ban, over half of Canadians still receive political content via Facebook. However, Bridgman warns that many users can’t distinguish between verified journalism and casual or misleading posts.
The report argues that the absence of credible news has made room for lower-quality and manipulative content to thrive.
One of the most concerning findings was the circulation of deepfake videos falsely portraying Prime Minister Mark Carney endorsing fake crypto schemes. These clips mimicked the style of respected news outlets like CBC and CTV and included fabricated interviews and policy claims.
A widely shared fake headline read, “Mark Carney announces controversial retaliatory tariff plan in response to Trump’s devastating tariff hikes this week,” linking to a scam website asking for sensitive financial details.
Another Facebook page, Money Mindset, spent C$1,000 on five French-language ads between April 4–9 featuring deepfakes of Carney. Though live for only a few hours, the ads reportedly reached up to 10,000 viewers.
“These fake ads damage the reputation of both political leaders and the news agencies they imitate,” the report noted.
Canada’s federal task force on Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) acknowledged ongoing concerns about foreign interference, particularly from China, Russia, and Iran. Although SITE recently identified Chinese-linked activity on WeChat, it found no significant electoral impact.
The report emphasizes that most disinformation seems to originate domestically and is financially motivated, rather than focused on manipulating election results.
“These scams aren’t necessarily aimed at influencing votes,” Bridgman explained. “But they still erode trust and make it harder for voters to navigate the political landscape.”
While Meta claims such content violates its guidelines and urges users to report scams, researchers argue enforcement is weak. Many scam ads bypass detection by avoiding political labels, allowing them to stay out of Facebook’s public ad archive.
“This is the kind of content that wouldn’t be allowed on TV,” Bridgman said. “Yet thousands of Canadians are exposed to these fake Carney ads on Facebook during a critical election period. It’s deeply unsettling.”
Meta stated that it continues investing in tools and systems to tackle impersonation and fraud, calling it a broad challenge across the industry.
Still, experts argue that more regulation is essential, particularly now that reliable news sources are less visible on major platforms.
“We’ve essentially handed control of the digital information space to unregulated entities,” Bridgman warned. “And it’s everyday citizens who suffer the consequences.”
