Does a video authentically show Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland swaying oddly on a podium? No, that's not true: A video splices together parts of a press conference video where Freeland pauses to allow journalists to ask questions. A "warp effect" has been added to exaggerate Freeland's facial expressions and body movements as she reacts to reporters.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on November 9, 2024. Some of the hashtags on the post read:
#chrystiafreelandmustgo #crazy #canada
This is how the post looked on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Nov 11 14:50:46 2024 UTC)
The video strings together segments of a press conference Freeland (archived here)held on November 8, 2024, to discuss how Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election might impact Canada. As the full 27-minute version of the press conference on YouTube shows, each part of the edited video on TikTok shows Freeland's reactions to different journalists' questions, spread out during the course of the session.
However, the video exaggerates Freeland's mannerisms by adding a subtle "warp effect," a tool available on graphic design software. For example, the beginning of the video appears to show Freeland breathing heavily and then wincing at the 0:02 mark. The same moment at the 22:22 mark of the YouTube video (archived here) shows Freeland taking in some air and wincing, but her chest does not expand nearly as widely. The video on TikTok also makes it appear that Freeland is bobbing up and down, which she does not do in the YouTube version.
Another example comes at the 0:19 mark of the edited video on TikTok, where Freeland brushes her hair while nodding, as if to signal she understands what the reporter is asking. The TikTok footage adds the bobbing effect, while the 11:50 mark of the YouTube version shows her standing stable (archived here) at the same point of the press conference.
The effect of the video on TikTok makes Freeland appear much more fidgety than she was in the original footage.
More Lead Stories fact checks on claims concerning the Canadian government can be read here.
