The Liberal government is calling for corrections from The Jerusalem Post , an Israel-based broadsheet publication, over a story about Canadian immigration that they’re labelling “misinformation”.
A recent news story in the mainstream publication claimed that “there is an understanding between the United States and Canada for Canada to receive 100,000 Palestinians (40,000 from Lebanon and another 60,000 from Syria”). Their source was an Arabic language publication that was in turning quoting an apparent official from a Palestinian faction.
Canada’s immigration department says the story is completely false. “We have contacted the Jerusalem Post to request a correction to the story,” Mathieu Genest, press secretary for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, told the Sun in a statement. “Canada does not have such an agreement with the United States and there are no special programs currently being considered to resettle people from Lebanon or Syria.”
Genest placed this in a larger context of false reporting. “We regularly monitor for online misinformation and disinformation,” he added. “When false information is being circulated, as in this case, we aim to act quickly to provide facts.”
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
