Canada

Was NASA originally created for sea exploration? No, that's not true: NASA was founded in 1958 as a response to then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower wanting to explore the upper atmosphere sciences and the capabilities of rockets. It was also created as a response to the Soviet Union launching their space satellite, Sputnik I. NASA did not start exploring the ocean…

Are satellites a myth because there is no way they could survive high temperatures in space? No, that's not true: A NASA spokesperson called this claim about satellites "misleading." According to NASA, artificial satellites are built to survive high temperatures in space, but they orbit in a layer of the atmosphere, the thermosphere, where sufficient gas molecules do not exist…

Is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the son of the late former Cuban President Fidel Castro? No, that's not true: That's an oft-repeated conspiracy theory that is not supported by any official evidence. A recent claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by NewsPunch on August 10, 2022, with a headline that read "Bombshell Evidence PROVES Justin Trudeau Is…

Does use of birth control pills, classified by international cancer researchers as a Class 1 carcinogen, mean that a woman will develop cancer? No, that's not true: Decades of research show that oral contraceptives do not significantly increase the likelihood that women will develop certain cancers. The pills can, in fact, reduce the likelihood of other cancers. The claim about…

Did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drop Canada's vaccine mandate because nine in every 10 COVID-19 deaths have been among the vaccinated? No, that's not true: The Canadian government made no such claim in the announcement of its plan to end the vaccine mandate for people entering the country. It did cite several other factors, however, including Canada's high vaccination…

Are iodine pills sold in a Canadian Home Hardware store? Yes, that's true: The operations manager for the store featured in a viral video told Lead Stories the pills are for sale at their location due to rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine and the threat of a possible nuclear war. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on…

Did an internationally recognized legal tribunal go after "Charles Windsor, aka 'King of England'" on September 20, 2022 to hold him accountable for "Crimes against Humanity committed by his parents"? No, that's not true: The "International Common Law Court of Justice" and its "Special Tribunal" do not exist under international law. The claim's assertion that the late Queen Elizabeth II,…

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…

Was a letter "S" recently added to LGBTQIA to represent "satanism"? Do the brown and black stripes on the pride and trans flags represent an acknowledgment of stolen Native American land and Black Lives Matter? No, that's not true: The S does not stand for satanism. The S at the end of the acronym can be plural, as in "LGBTQIAs,"…

Does consumption of irradiated foods cause cancer and other diseases? No, that's not true: Food irradiation is a well-studied, FDA-approved process that kills pathogens associated with foodborne infections; thus, also preserving food for longer. There is no evidence that it may cause cancer. The claim appeared in a TikTok video on September 6, 2022. The caption began: @Bonnie #knowledgeableone333 Food…