Question Period Note: QAnon Right Wing Extremism

CTV News has published an article stating that Canada is not immune to the conspiracy theories that have thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, including QAnon.

• The Government of Canada remains concerned about the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories during the pandemic, including QAnon.

• This is part of the larger problem we are facing with regards to growing ideologically-motivated violent extremism, or IMVE, which includes right wing extremism and white nationalism.

• Canada recognizes that IMV extremists, many who subscribe to QAnon and other conspiracy theories, have been using the COVID-19 pandemic to advance their narrative of division and distrust, and have encouraged individuals to carry out acts of vandalism and violence.

• We continue to monitor the evolving threat posed by these groups and, where appropriate, can employ a suite of traditional counter-terrorism tools to address this concern.

• This includes first and foremost law enforcement criminal investigations with a view to supporting criminal charges and prosecutions.

• Where charges cannot be laid, a number of other tools are considered, including surveillance and monitoring; terrorism peace bonds; no-fly listings; and refusals, cancellations or revocation of passports.

• Further, the listing of terrorist entities under the Criminal Code is one of many tools that Canada uses to combat terrorist financing, terrorist operations and support to terrorist activities.

• Last year, Canada listed two extremist groups – Blood & Honour and Combat 18 – as terrorist entities.

• Beyond enforcement, there is also prevention. Public Safety’s Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence provides leadership on Canada’s efforts to counter radicalization to violence.

• Through the Community Resiliency Fund, the Canada Centre supports research and programming to build evidence and local capacity to counter radicalization to violence in Canada.

CTV News has published an article stating that Canada is not immune to the conspiracy theories that have thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, including QAnon. Beginning with a post by an anonymous user called Q on the online forum 4chan in late 2017, QAnon has developed into a multifaceted conspiracy theory that has grown in reach and visibility during the pandemic. QAnon draws on a wide array of beliefs associated with ideologically motivated violent extremism (IMVE), including anti-Semitism and white nationalism.

A report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found that Canada is among the top four countries driving QAnon content on Twitter. While several social media companies have taken steps to crack down on QAnon content and other false claims about COVID-19, the nature of the misinformation spread often poses a challenge for moderators to remove content quickly.

As noted in the 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada, the principal terrorist threat to Canada remains that posed by violent extremists who could be inspired by terrorist groups, such as Daesh and al-Qaida, to carry out an attack in Canada. Daesh continues to encourage its followers abroad to employ low-sophistication attacks, such as the use of knives or vehicles, to inflict harm.

In addition, the Government is concerned about threats posed by those who harbour views characterized by IMVE, including such groups as Blood and Honour and Combat 18. Events such as the April 2018 Toronto van attack and March 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings underscore that violent acts driven by extremists’ views are not exclusively linked to any particular religious, political or cultural ideology. The Government of Canada is monitoring threats posed by IMVE individuals and groups as well as the evolving threats they pose.

The National Terrorism Threat Level for Canada serves as a tool for government officials, including those in law enforcement agencies, to identify risks and vulnerabilities resulting from threats and, in turn, determine appropriate responses to prevent or mitigate a violent act of terrorism. Canada’s current threat level is at Medium (meaning that a violent act of terrorism could occur) and has been at this level since October 2014.

Specific offences with respect to terrorism were created in the Criminal Code following the 9/11 attacks. As of May 2020, a total of 58 individuals have been charged with terrorism offences, and 25 of them have been convicted thus far.

Government departments and agencies have a number of policies and programs to respond to the threat of terrorism and violent extremism, including:

• National security criminal investigations are primarily conducted by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams. They are strategically based in locations across Canada and work with policing and government partners to investigate national security threats.

• The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) investigates and reports on threats to the security of Canada. Working with partners, CSIS aims to provide information to the Government of Canada on all potential terrorist threats on Canadian territory or affecting Canadian citizens and assets abroad. Within defined legal parameters, CSIS can take measures that reduce threats to the security of Canada.

• Countering radicalization to violence (CRV) efforts are key to Canada’s response to violent extremism. These include the RCMP’s community outreach activities and projects funded by Public Safety’s Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence (the Canada Centre), which provides leadership and coordination on Canada’s approach to CRV.

• The Canada Centre supports intervention programs that are equipped to handle a range of cases, including individuals involved in ideologically motivated violent extremism. Effort is made to ensure interventions are trauma-informed, age and gender appropriate. These interventions aim to disengage the individual from violent extremism, and are generally led by health and social service professionals. Such interventions do not replace, prevent, or exclude monitoring and investigating by security agencies.

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