Liberal MPs call for probe into Canadian connections to alleged Russian propaganda scheme

Liberal MPs are calling for a committee investigation of Canadian connections to U.S. allegations that Russia has used state-run media, unwitting influencers and websites to spread disinformation.

At the same time, a Russian-Canadian activist group is asking the public inquiry investigating foreign interference to look into the issue during its next phase.

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment against two Russian nationals accusing them of setting up a conservative media outlet as a front for pro-Kremlin propaganda.

While the indictment doesn't name the Tennessee-based outlet, details in the court document match those of Tenet Media — a company founded by Canadian far-right commentator Lauren Chen and her husband Liam Donovan.

On Tuesday, a number of Liberal MPs called for an emergency meeting of the House public safety and national security committee to launch an investigation.

"The allegations of Russian foreign interference by the U.S. Department of Justice are more than a cause for concern — they are a serious threat to Canadian national security and democratic integrity," says a letter signed by all five Liberal members of the committee.

"This calls for an immediate and forceful response to safeguard the integrity of our democracy."

Separately, the head of the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance has written to Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue requesting that she examine the issues raised in the indictment as part of the next phase of the public inquiry investigating foreign interference.

"Given the extremely serious nature of these claims, I urge the commission to examine and assess this matter thoroughly, including the Government of Canada's response — or lack thereof — in this case," Yuriy Novodvorskiy wrote in a letter to Hogue.

The inquiry wrapped up its initial "fact-finding" stage in the spring and is set to begin a second round of hearings — looking at broader issues of foreign interference and its impacts on diaspora communities — on Monday.

The indictment said the company in question describes itself as "a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues," which matches word-for-word the description on Tenet Media's homepage. The indictment also said the company was incorporated on Jan. 19, 2022, which matches publicly available records with the Tennessee Secretary of State.

Among the people the company hired last year was Chen's longtime friend and occasional collaborator Lauren Southern, another Canadian far-right influencer with a massive social media following.

The MPs' letter requests that Chen, Donovan and Southern be called to testify before the committee.

The U.S. indictment also includes more than a dozen references to another Canadian company owned by Chen and Donovan that was used as a vehicle to receive payment from RT, the Russian state-run news outlet.

WATCH | Russia accused of using influencers to meddle in the 2024 U.S. election: 

Russia accused of using influencers to meddle in the 2024 U.S. election

3 months ago

Duration 2:03

Washington has accused Moscow of running a covert propaganda campaign to meddle in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, with documents revealing a connection to Canadian far-right influencers Lauren Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan.

Research by CBC News found a federally registered corporation linked to Chen and Donovan called Roaming Millennial Inc., which had an address in Montreal until last November.

Roaming Millennial was Chen's username on YouTube and Instagram in her earlier days as a content creator. 

Roaming USA Corp. is the corporate name for the entity that operates Tenet Media.   

Chen, Donovan and Southern are not the subject of criminal charges and are not named in the indictment.

Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, the two Russians named in the U.S. indictment, remain at large.

Last week, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government was working with the U.S. "on this serious matter."

"Any Canadians who illegally assist in Russia's persistent attempts to use disinformation, criminal and covert activities, and corruption to undermine our sovereignty and democratic processes will face the full force of Canadian law," he said in a media statement.