Canada’s foreign-interference monitoring unit was listed as an organizer of a training workshop at the same European conference from which Ottawa withdrew official support, as organizers prepared discussions examining alleged American information manipulation.
The official #Disinfo2026 program identifies Global Affairs Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism as the organizer of a workshop in partnership with research firm Graphika.
The three-hour session was designed to train investigators in tracking foreign influence operations, analyzing online networks, and conducting open-source investigations.
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According to Global Affairs Canada, RRM Canada permanently chairs the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism, established in 2018 to coordinate responses to foreign threats against democratic institutions.
Its mandate includes monitoring information threats affecting Canada’s sovereignty, national security, economic interests, and foreign policy.
In March, Ottawa announced $31.5 million over five years to strengthen the unit’s detection and response capabilities. That funding was not specifically designated for the conference.
Canadian official withdraws from Arctic discussion
During the October 7–8 conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, Global Affairs Canada withdrew its official supporter designation.
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CBC News reported that a Canadian official also withdrew from chairing an October 8 session examining information operations in the Arctic, including allegations involving the US and Greenland.
The conference’s current program identifies EU DisinfoLab board president Diana Wallis as the session’s chair.
A separate October 7 discussion examined whether the US had become a source of foreign information manipulation threatening Europe.
According to Reuters, three American officials and diplomatic correspondence indicated that the State Department had urged Canada and European governments to distance themselves from the conference. The Guardian first disclosed the diplomatic pressure on October 7.
Ottawa cites changes to conference program
Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Samantha Lafleur attributed the decision to changes in how several discussions were framed. The department maintained that Canadian officials continued participating in the conference despite withdrawing official support.
However, CBC reported that archived versions of the central US-focused discussion appeared unchanged since September 9. The conference organizer had also publicly identified discussions concerning American information threats when it announced its program on September 8.
Ottawa has not publicly identified the specific changes that prompted its withdrawal or confirmed whether American diplomatic objections directly influenced the decision.
Lithuania and the EU’s diplomatic service also withdrew their official support, while France retained its endorsement.
Canada’s decision leaves its technical participation in the conference intact while ending its public institutional backing, despite the government’s continuing responsibility for coordinating the G7 response to foreign information threats.
