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The deputy minister of industry in an internal email described use of a taxpayer-funded research project to publish a 2019 Muslim voting guide as “weird,” in documents obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.

The guide criticized opposition MPs for activities that “foment the kind of fear and moral panic that leads to violence and hate.”

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“In the event we did pay for this, I’m just wondering if in fact we have any policies at the councils about paying for this stuff that is overtly political in the sense of paying for stuff that, for example, purports to guide people in how they should vote?” wrote Deputy Minister Simon Kennedy.

“It would seem weird that such a guide would be something we would subsidize no matter what one may or may not think about the content.”

The voting guide was published Oct. 18 by the Canadian Islamophobia Industry Research Project at Wilfrid Laurier University. The department said it was unaware of the guide until notified by B’nai Brith Canada on Oct. 24.