Trucker Convoy

Did Canadian journalist Mark Slapinski promote a Nazi-style "final solution" for people who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: Slapinski said on one of his social media accounts that his words about unvaccinated Canadians were "meant to be satirical." The claim appeared in a post and video on Instagram on July 13, 2023, under the title…

Is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau being investigated for genocide by Interpol? No, that's not true: As of July 26, 2022, the International Criminal Police Organization made no announcement regarding Trudeau being a suspect. The article that made the claim was published on a satirical website and did not provide any evidence. The claim appeared in an article titled "Interpol:…

Was the CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek, arrested for human trafficking in Southern California? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated story with no basis in fact. The article lacks ironic or humorous cues that would indicate it is a commentary or that this "news" is posted on a satire website, although the "About" page identifies it as satiric.…

Will Ottawa euthanize truckers' pets as punishment for the convoy protest? No, that's not true: Pets were not threatened with death as a punishment for protesters getting arrested in Canada. A message was posted to Ottawa's animal control service Twitter account on February 17, 2022, telling demonstrators not to bring pets to the protest because they would be taken from…

Was Tamara Lich, one of the leaders of the Ottawa trucker convoy, found dead in her jail cell? No, that's not true: Lich was alive as of February 23, 2022, according to the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, where she was being detained. The spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General confirmed to Lead Stories that Lich had not been found…

Did Canada invoke its Emergencies Act for the first time ever? Yes, that's true, but Canada has had a similar law in place since Parliament adopted the War Measures Act in August 1914, shortly after the beginning of World War I. The War Measures Act was last used by then-Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1970 during the October Crisis,…

Does an aerial image of several vehicles and hundreds of encampments on a farm show an offshoot of the "Freedom Convoy" in Canberra, Australia? No, that's not true: The image is actually of a festival site in England and was taken in 2019. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on February 14, 2022. The post has the…

Did the Canadian government leave a dumpster full of rocks in downtown Ottawa to provoke violence during the "Freedom Convoy" protests? No, that's not true: The owner of the company that owns the dumpster confirmed with Lead Stories that the dumpster and its contents were only there for a client's construction needs. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived…

Did a judge order the Ottawa Police Service to return all the fuel they seized during demonstrations related to the Canadian "Freedom Convoy"? No, that's not true: According to Canadian officials, no such court order was found. The claim appeared on a webpage (archived here) published on February 9, 2022. The title of the article read: Judge orders Ottawa police…

Are members of the Ottawa Police Service exempt from mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations? No, that's not true: The Ottawa Police Service released a statement in 2021 announcing that all members of the service who did not have official exemptions must get fully vaccinated by January 31, 2022. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on February 9, 2022. The post includes…