Ottawa – Members of the media are invited to the fourth in a series of Policy Options breakfasts  on key issues that could — or should — be part of the debate in the 2019 federal election.

This event, held in partnership with the Max Bell School of Public Policy and sponsored by CBC and Microsoft, will focus on electoral integrity and disinformation. Countries around the world are grappling with how to identify and prevent a host of new threats to the integrity of their elections and democratic systems. Social media platforms and new data collection methods have been used by both foreign and domestic players to sow divisions between citizens and erode trust in our core institutions. Disinformation is often the tool of choice. With the next general election around the corner in Canada, we ask: Is our policy framework up to the task of dealing with the deliberate spread of false information? Do our policies and laws adequately regulate new innovations in political advertising and campaigning, such as bots, social media influencers and data analytics? What is the role of traditional media outlets?

Panellists

• Elizabeth Dubois is an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa. Her work examines political uses of digital media and issues like media manipulation, citizen engagement and artificial intelligence.
• Jennifer McGuire has been the general manager and editor in chief of CBC News since 2009; she led the digital transformation of CBC News.
• Taylor Owen is the Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and associate professor in the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University. 

Jennifer Ditchburn, editor-in-chief of Policy Options, will moderate the discussion.

What: Policy Options Pre-Election Breakfast Series: Electoral integrity and disinformation
When: 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., May 7, 2019
Where: Rideau Club, 99 Bank Street, 15th floor, Ottawa, Ontario

Places are limited. Please register in advance.

Contact:    Shirley Cardenas    tel. 514-594-6877    scardenas@nullirpp.org

Policy Options magazine is a digital publication of the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). The IRPP is an independent, national, bilingual, not-for-profit organization based in Montreal. To receive updates from the IRPP, please subscribe to our e-mail list.