MPs are calling for an investigation into a bot farm scandal dogging Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre’s rally in Kirkland Lake last weekend.
Timmins—James Bay NDP MP Charlie Angus is calling for an Elections Canada investigation, while Northern Ontario Liberal MPs have drafted a letter to X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk.
Following Poilievre’s rally in Kirkland Lake on July 31, numerous posts appeared on X from people purporting to have been in attendance.
“Pierre Poilievre’s northern Ontario tour is bringing people together! As a northerner myself, I’m thrilled to see a leader who gets it,” one post purportedly from someone in Wyoming read. “Last night’s rally in Kirkland Lake was electric — the packed crowd was a testament to his commitment to our community.”
Alleged attendees, whose X accounts originated from throughout the world, all posted the exact same, or in some cases slight variations, of this message, leading to allegations that fake accounts were used to promote Poilievre’s appearance.
“Several posts got basic information about the event wrong, including claims that the weather was very cold when in fact there was a local heat wave,” Angus wrote in his letter to Elections Canada.
”When this information was pointed out online, many of the accounts were deleted or had deleted their posts.”
Sudbury.com reached out to the Conservative Party of Canada, whose spokesperson denied involvement, noting that similar bot accounts also promote Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“The CPC does not pay for bots and has no idea who is behind these accounts. We are seeking the support of actual Canadians, as witnessed by large in-person turnouts at our events.”
Although Conservative Party of Canada director of communications Sarah Fischer did not respond to Sudbury.com’s request for examples of bot accounts promoting Trudeau, readers have since shared examples of past instances.
These tactics are part of broader campaigns to undermine democratic accountability by manipulating social media algorithms to promote false information about politicians or boost engagement without spending money through traditional advertising, Angus wrote in his letter to Elections Canada.
As such, he’s calling on Elections Canada to ensure that the Conservative Party of Canada, Poilievre or the local Conservative electoral district association did not pay for the social media posts and that appropriate steps be taken if they did.
Alternatively, he calls that “appropriate remedies are applied” in the event it was a foreign third-party.
In an open letter signed by Liberal MPs Viviane Lapointe (Sudbury), Marc Serré (Nickel Belt), Terry Sheehan (Sault Ste. Marie) and Marcus Powlowski (Thunder Bay-Rainy River), X owner Elon Musk is asked to take action.
“This is blatant online manipulation designed to influence public opinion with disinformation and to interfere in Canada’s public discourse and democratic processes,” the open letter reads.
Although many of the offending X accounts have since been suspended, “many questions remain about the actors involved in this co-ordinated campaign that intended to distort perceptions, mislead the public and inflate support for one political party,” the letter continued.
They’re requesting that X publicly share whatever information they have about the bot campaign to help shed light on “this anti-democratic incident.”
It's not only politicians who have responded to the bot farm scandal, with various people taking to social media to make fun of the situation. One post on X.com parodied the situation by showing a large crowd of thousands of people purporting to have attended the Kirkland Lake rally, while another person posted, “Apparently, thousands of people from around the world converged on Kirkland Lake to listen to Pierre Poilievre in a 200-seat curling rink.”
Political cartoonist Chris Chuckry has also poked fun at the situation on X (@chrischuckry).
When you’re kinda fake online and off, something is bound to smell bad. #cdnpoli #politicalcartoon #bots #pierrepoilievre #buyinglikes #conservative #cpc pic.twitter.com/CPEbUKytKL
— Chris Chuckry 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 (@chrischuckry) August 9, 2024
Is Pierre Poilievre’s popularity the result of bot farms along with rage farming? It seems so. All the bots went to see him at Kirkland Lake, ON, and then they all tweeted the same message about him. Some people are desperate and insecure enough to pay for attention 1/2 pic.twitter.com/BycAuJQifM
— Chris Chuckry 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 (@chrischuckry) August 6, 2024
Poilievre’s tour of Northern Ontario included a stop in Greater Sudbury, which Sudbury.com reported on and included a brief interview with the Conservative Party of Canada leader.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.