Question Period Note: Digital Citizen Initiative and Digital Citizen Contribution Program

Since January 2020, the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP) has provided $8.6 million in funding support to third-party organizations undertaking research of learning activities, such as public awareness tools and online workshops, to help Canadians become more resilient and think critically about the information they consume online. These projects reach Canadians on a national and local scale, online and offline, in minority communities, in both official languages and in Indigenous communities. Of the total DCCP allocated in 2020-21, $4.3 million was dedicated specifically to counter COVID-19 disinformation, misleading information as well as the racism and stigmatization that are often the result.

• Now more than ever, Canadians need to be able to find reliable news and information. We have invested $8.6 million in nearly 70 projects to better understand and build citizen resilience to disinformation.
• This isn’t about controlling what citizens read, but rather providing them with the tools and skills to think critically about the information they find online.
• This work is undertaken by organizations that are arms length from government.  

Digital Citizen Initiative and the Digital Citizen Contribution Program
• On January 30, 2019, the Minister of Democratic Institutions announced the Government of Canada’s approach to protecting Canada’s democracy. This included a $7 million investment by the Department of Canadian Heritage in citizen-focused activities to strengthen citizens’ critical thinking about online disinformation, their ability to be more resilient against online harms, as well as their ability to get involved in democratic processes.
• Prior to the Canadian federal election in 2019, more than 20 projects in the form of civic, news, and digital media literacy offered through third-party activities and programming were funded, ranging from awareness sessions and workshops to development of learning materials to foster digital media and civic awareness.
• Budget 2019 earmarked an additional $19.4 million over four years for the Digital Citizen Initiative (DCI), including funding for the creation of the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP), a joint research initiative with the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and support for the Public Policy Forum’s (PPF) Digital Democracy Project and MediaSmarts’ Media Literacy Week. The DCI also includes a multistakeholder International Engagement Strategy aiming to establish consensus and develop guiding principles for the diversity of content online.
• From year to year, the DCI reassesses its focus and adapts its guidelines accordingly.
• In 2019-20, the focus for the DCCP was on funding projects to better understand online disinformation and other online harms, how they evolve in a Canadian context and how they impact Canadians differently, as well as understand what success looks like in the building citizen resilience and digital media literacy space, and the impact of these types of activities in a Canadian context. Eight projects were funded.
• In 2020-21, the focus for the DCCP was funding projects to: map/predict the next issues and/or types of online disinformation; further understand the impact of disinformation on diverse and marginalized communities in Canada; better understand the societal factors and psychological characteristics that motivate individuals to take up the call for online and offline disinformation-related activities; and, understand the impacts of a lack of exposure to diverse content online, including understanding how users access reliable news and information in Canada, as well as the impacts of algorithmic systems on the content users are exposed to and consume on online platforms. The deadline to apply for funding was September 18, 2020.
• The 2021-22 focus was on projects to: understand i. the role of algorithms and artificial intelligence on mainstream and fringe online platforms and ii. the domestic and transnational spread, evolution, and impacts of disinformation and related harms through and on the diaspora, Indigenous, and non-English primary language communities in Canada; and evaluate existing research and programming related to disinformation and their effectiveness.
Targeted Call to Counter Online Misinformation Related to COVID-19
• In 2020, the DCCP dedicated around $4.3 million specifically towards organizations supporting citizens to think critically about the health information they find online. There were two calls for proposals, with the first targeted call in March 2020 aiming to build on organizations’ pre-existing projects. The second call in July 2020 provided time-limited financial assistance of up to $40,000 per project, for the purposes of helping citizens identify mis- and disinformation, and limit the impact of racist and/or misleading social media posts relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This investment was part of the phase I measures providing relief to the cultural, sport and heritage sectors. It funded activities, such as public awareness tools and online workshops, to help Canadians increase their resilience and be critical of misinformation about COVID -19. Funded projects reached people nationally and locally, online and offline, in Indigenous and minority communities, in both official languages.

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