Canada

Did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say that Russia must win this war? Yes: Trudeau did misspeak at the end of a news conference in Poland. While speaking of how aid and military equipment would be supplied to Ukraine, he accidentally said "Russia must win this war." He immediately corrected himself and said, "Ukraine must win this war against Russia."…

Does a video on social media show immigrants in Canada "forced" to live near busy train tracks in Toronto? No, that's not true: This video was shot in Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, and gained traction online during February 2024. A Nigerian government official responded to this video, which showed traders selling goods alongside a track as a train rushes…

Is sporting company Barnett Outdoors giving away free bows after having "discriminated 35+ years old men"? No, that's not true: The account that shared a post making this claim is in no way affiliated with the sporting goods company-- the page was created the same day the scam post was published. A link included in the post redirected users to…

Does a viral video show proof that the U.S. national debt was paid off in 2017? No, that's not true: The U.S. Treasury website shows the current U.S. national debt, which is about $33.7 trillion, a number accepted by U.S. financial markets, independent economists and the Federal Reserve Bank. The video relies on paperwork that has nothing to do with…

Did 80 Canadian doctors die after being vaccinated for COVID-19? No, that's not true: As of December 12, 2022, there had been no COVID vaccine caused deaths - of doctors or non-doctors - in Canada, according to the national public health agency. The claim was made with no evidence that the vaccines caused any physician deaths. Publicly available information shows…

Did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sing in a London hotel lobby bar before Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral? Yes, that's true: Trudeau, accompanied by Canadian musician Gregory Charles on the piano, was belting out "Bohemian Rhapsody" by the band Queen two nights before the British monarch was laid to rest on September 19, 2022. The claim appeared as a…

Did three doctors in Canada die after receiving a fourth COVID-19 shot? No, that's not true: There's no evidence any of the men were boosted a second time, but, if they were, there's also no evidence that the vaccinations caused their deaths. At least two of the doctors died from cancer, and the third had been "seriously ill" leading up…

Did NASA use the landscape of a remote Arctic island in Canada to produce fake images that were then falsely represented as exploration on the planet Mars? No, that's not true: This accusation lacks a key element -- there is no evidence that NASA has misrepresented images from the Haughton Mars Project (HMP) or any other analog mission conducted on…

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…

Were there empty ATMs and locked funds at all of the "Big Five" Canadian banks on February 17, 2022? No, that's not true: The claims are "baseless," the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) told Lead Stories. The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) confirmed it was experiencing trouble with online banking services on February 16, 2022, but there is no evidence that…

Wanted for Defamation On November 5, 2021, a website named Conservative Beaver published a false story about the CEO of Pfizer being arrested for fraud. It wasn't the first false story published by the website and it wouldn't be the last: Only a few days later the site falsely claimed Myriam Bourla (the wife of Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla) died…

Did authorities send out an arrest warrant for Pope Francis on November 1, 2021? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that an arrest warrant for Pope Francis has been issued, that he is going to court for crimes against humanity or that he could be imprisoned any time soon. This is a completely fictional claim. The claim appeared…

Did the U.N. station armored vehicles outside a pharmaceutical company in Canada? No, that's not true: the tenant of the building has changed and the armored vehicles are parked at a company that builds and maintains armored vehicles, which are not part of a military operation in Canada. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook on…

Did 10,000 Canadian doctors say the COVID-19 pandemic was a "fraud"? No, that's not true: The petition listed as proof does not declare the pandemic a fraud. It is a protest against the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), which cautioned doctors against spreading misinformation. In addition, more than 600 of the names on the petition do not…