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After returning from Ukraine, ex-foreign minister warns Russian disinformation will be factor in Canadian election
Government soldiers near Marynka, eastern Ukraine prepare to count election votes.
Most of the international election monitors (2,500+) will remain in Ukraine for the April 21, runoff election.
Russia is meddling/interfering in elections in virtually every nation with a free democratic system.
Government soldiers near Marynka, eastern Ukraine prepare to count election votes.
4/4/19
OTTAWA — After serving as an official election monitor in Ukraine for the first round of that country’s presidential election, former Liberal foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy is warning Canadians will be vulnerable to Russian disinformation during the federal contest scheduled for this October. “There’s some lessons to learn for Canadians. I think Ukraine’s on the front line, and there’s a wake-up call that anybody’s election, including ours in six months, could be altered, disrupted or problems could be created in terms of disinformation if you’re not very watchful about it,” he said in an interview with the National Post on Thursday. “I can’t predict what would happen here. I just know that we’re vulnerable.” Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan recently announced they were extending a training mission in Ukraine through 2022. About 200 Canadian troops are stationed in the country’s west assisting its military as conflict with Russia-backed separatists continues in eastern Ukraine.
Axworthy, who served in the cabinets of Jean Chrétien and Pierre Trudeau and currently chairs the World Refugee Council, led a group of more than a hundred Canadian election observers funded by Global Affairs Canada to meet with Ukrainian officials and report on the integrity of its proceedings this week. “Even against the odds of Russian interference and the conflicts on the east side and so on, they did a very effective job and there weren’t a lot of disruptions,” he said. “There were small glitches but nothing affected the outcome.” Axworthy said Canada could ramp up its participation not only in election observation but in diplomatic efforts writ large. He acknowledged that after cutbacks under the previous Conservative government, the current Liberals haven’t fleshed their foreign department back out, despite their famous claim that “Canada is back.” “I think the government needs to put more investment in these sorts of things. I don’t mean massive sums like they did on infrastructure. But we really have to maintain a very active and effective diplomatic network around the world,” he said.
Most of the international election monitors (2,500+) will remain in Ukraine for the April 21, runoff election.
Russia is meddling/interfering in elections in virtually every nation with a free democratic system.