New Democrat MP Charlie Angus is calling on Elections Canada to launch an investigation into Elon Musk and his social media platform X, saying he is concerned about potential interference by the tech billionaire in the next federal election.
In a two-page letter to Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault, Angus said Musk has been playing a role in recent elections in a variety of countries, donating millions of dollars to conservative candidates and using X, formerly known as Twitter, to amplify the political messages of candidates he favours.
"He has formed alliances with right-wing populist leaders, amplified extremist influencers and spread hate disinformation towards marginal groups," Angus wrote.
Now, Angus wrote, Musk is getting involved in Canadian politics, "praising the current leader of the Conservative Party, aligning himself with far-right influencers and their platforms and criticizing the current prime minister."
Musk, the world's richest man, was born in South Africa but lives in the United States and holds citizenship there. His mother is from Saskatchewan, and Musk moved to Canada in 1989, attending Queen's University for two years. CBC News was unable to confirm whether Musk currently holds Canadian citizenship.
Angus wrote that X "serves as a pathway for Russian misinformation and the rise of hate and threats in Canada. Given X's huge power, any overt efforts by Mr. Musk to support a particular party or leader could easily impact our electoral integrity."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/musk-an...-1.7439975
In a two-page letter to Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault, Angus said Musk has been playing a role in recent elections in a variety of countries, donating millions of dollars to conservative candidates and using X, formerly known as Twitter, to amplify the political messages of candidates he favours.
"He has formed alliances with right-wing populist leaders, amplified extremist influencers and spread hate disinformation towards marginal groups," Angus wrote.
Now, Angus wrote, Musk is getting involved in Canadian politics, "praising the current leader of the Conservative Party, aligning himself with far-right influencers and their platforms and criticizing the current prime minister."
Musk, the world's richest man, was born in South Africa but lives in the United States and holds citizenship there. His mother is from Saskatchewan, and Musk moved to Canada in 1989, attending Queen's University for two years. CBC News was unable to confirm whether Musk currently holds Canadian citizenship.
Angus wrote that X "serves as a pathway for Russian misinformation and the rise of hate and threats in Canada. Given X's huge power, any overt efforts by Mr. Musk to support a particular party or leader could easily impact our electoral integrity."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/musk-an...-1.7439975