Ottawa Withdraws Support from Disinformation Conference Over U.S. Framing

As first reported by CBC News, the Canadian federal government has withdrawn its sponsorship of a disinformation conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, after the event included panels characterizing the United States government as a foreign interference risk.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) spokesperson Samantha Lafleur told CBC News that the government took issue with the framing of several panel discussions organized by EU DisinfoLab, a Brussels-based non-profit. The conference focused on "foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI)," which involves actors manipulating information to mislead the public and erode institutional confidence.

While GAC did not explicitly confirm that describing the U.S. as a threat was the primary concern, Lafleur stated that the department decided to revise its participation following changes to the framing of certain sessions. Additionally, a GAC official stepped down from chairing a Thursday panel regarding disinformation in the Arctic. Ben Shultz of the American Sunlight Project told CBC News that the Arctic session aimed to discuss evidence of the U.S. operating as a FIMI actor in specific contexts.

Canada was not the only government to retreat; the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Lithuania's Foreign Ministry also removed their support. An EU spokesperson told CBC News the EEAS logo was removed because the program's framing did not align with official EU positions. Sponsorship is still maintained by the French government.

CBC News reports that this withdrawal occurs amid a bitter trade dispute with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. It also follows reporting by the Globe and Mail regarding meetings between U.S. entities and individuals campaigning for Alberta independence, some of which CBC News reports took place at U.S. State Department offices in Washington, D.C., last year.