Article content

OTTAWA — Canadian officials are concerned that foreign countries such as Russia or Saudi Arabia could try to sow discord by amping up separatist sentiments in Quebec, according to documents obtained by the National Post.

That state actors could have an interest in manipulating Quebecers — particularly in the context of an upcoming federal election — is one of a litany of concerns raised by Global Affairs Canada analysts in a series of 2018 reports detailing online disinformation strategies.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Foreign actors could use artificial intelligence to undermine democracy, Canadian officials warn in internal reports Back to video

There are the now-ubiquitous concerns about Russian troll farms. But there are fears, too, about the “reality-distorting effects” of rapidly improving artificial intelligence. One report produced within Canada’s foreign ministry contains a warning that our “common view of reality” may need to be bolstered to counter the threat.

The National Post used access-to-information law to obtain the documents, prepared by the Digital Inclusion Lab within GAC. Little information is available online about the lab’s activities. A search of a government directory shows analysts associated with the lab operate within a “Centre for International Digital Policy,” inside an “Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion” under the assistant deputy minister for international security.