REPORT
RUSSIAN PROXIES IN CANADIAN DISCOURSE
OCTOBER 2024
September 4th, 2024
Two Russian nationals working for the state-controlled media outlet Russia Today (RT) are indicted for funneling nearly USD $10 million to a US-based content creation company. The funds were intended to covertly promote Russian Government narratives, with the goal of deepening divisions in the US and spreading disinformation about the war in Ukraine.
The defendants are charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and with money laundering. Their whereabouts remain unknown at the time of writing.
The company, identified as TENET Media, hired well-known political commentators such as Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, Tim Pool, Matt Christiansen, Tayler Hansen, and Lauren Southern.
Since its public launch in November 2023, the company has produced and distributed nearly 2,000 videos across multiple social media platforms, reaching millions of viewers.
According to business records from the Tennessee Secretary of State, "Roaming USA Corp" registered the name "TENET Media" in May 2023. The records list Liam Donovan as the company's registered agent, with Lauren Tam noted as a previous listing.
The indictment indicates that "Roaming USA Corp", the US company behind TENET Media, is a subsidiary of a Canadian corporation called Roaming Millennial Incorporated.
Russian Information Influence Operations
The indictment reveals a series of propaganda project proposals directed against the United States. These proposals outline strategic narratives aimed at deepening societal divides and subtly advancing Russian interests.
Divisive Narratives
- Highlight encroaching poverty, record inflation, slow economic growth, job insecurity, and rising living costs.
- Portray diversity policies as a form of "reverse discrimination."
- Depict current leaders as dishonest and out of touch.
- Frame cultural shifts as perverted and a threat to traditional values.
- Link rising crime to minorities and recent immigrants.
- Claim media is one-sided and voices are being censored.
Pro-Russia Narratives
- Spending abroad comes at the expense of domestic interests.
- Support for Ukraine is excessive, will lead to a larger conflict, and will draw us into war.
- Ending the conflict, even if it means making territorial concessions.
Dissemination Strategy
Russia employs both overt and covert channels to broadcast its perspectives to international audiences. The overt approach relies on state-controlled media outlets such as RT and Sputnik, along with official social media accounts of Russian institutions and government officials.
For instance, the official Twitter account of the Russian Embassy in Canada openly promotes the narratives detailed in the indictment, as illustrated in the examples provided on the right. This demonstrates a deliberate effort to insert them into Canadian public discourse and influence public opinion.
The covert strategy involves co-opting influential Western political commentators who express views aligning with Russian objectives. By providing them with funding and promotional support, they spread Russia's narratives while maintaining the appearance of independent, grassroots discourse.
Additionally, Russia leverages automated bots and fake social media accounts to amplify these messages, creating the illusion of widespread support. These covert tactics help manipulate trending topics, rapidly disseminate disinformation, and obscure the true origins of the messaging.
TENET Media
TENET Media exemplified the covert strategy. While posing as an independent Western media organization, it funneled Russian funding to selected influencers. Despite being unaware of the true source of their financial support, these individuals often produced content that echoed key Russian narratives. This alignment is evident in multiple posts, as shown in the examples provided.
Click on a picture to show or hide posts from that account.
Impact on Canada
While the TENET Media operation primarily targeted US audiences, it had significant ties to Canada. Payments to influencers were routed through a Canadian entity, and prominent Canadian figure, Lauren Southern, was among those involved.
This report examines key voices in Canada's media ecosystem—including social media personalities, news outlets, and politicians—to identify who among them may be targeted if Russia were to implement a similar influence operation. The analysis focuses on identifying Canadian entities that either disseminate Russian narratives, or support those who spread such narratives.
This analysis does not suggest any direct ties between the identified parties and Russia.
Social Media
Given Russia's practice of recruiting social media personalities to spread its messaging, this analysis identified individuals who could be potential targets for similar campaigns.
Notably, over three-quarters of these accounts directly engaged with TENET Media content—through sharing, commenting, or liking.
Political Access
The analysis reveals that multiple Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) have actively engaged with content from these social media personalities. While most interactions involve innocuous posts, this engagement indicates they are following these accounts and likely consuming their more fringe messaging as well. This level of visibility among political figures could make these influencers attractive targets for foreign influence operations seeking to shape Canadian policy debates.
Mainstream Media
Turning to the broader media landscape, traditional news outlets play a powerful role in legitimizing emerging narratives within public debate. The research found that several leading Canadian news agencies published opinion pieces and editorials questioning Canada's role in Ukraine, featuring themes and arguments similar to those across social media. The appearance of these narratives in mainstream media suggests a broader acceptance within public discourse.
Conclusion
The TENET Media operation exposes Canada's vulnerability to Russian influence campaigns. Our analysis reveals how Russian narratives infiltrate Canadian discourse, moving from social media personalities to political figures and gaining legitimacy in mainstream outlets. The documented engagement between elected officials and content creators who amplify Russian-aligned messaging creates direct pathways for foreign influence to reach decision-makers.
These operations are actively shaping Canadian public opinion on critical issues. When Canadian perspectives are absent online, citizens become more susceptible to adopting competing foreign narratives. Protecting Canada's information environment requires transparency in content funding, enhanced media literacy, and ensuring authentic Canadian voices remain prominent in our national discourse.