Canada is preparing for artificial intelligence-driven election interference in its next federal campaign, with officials explicitly warning that threats may originate from any country—including the United States.
The explicit naming of America as a potential source of election interference marks a dramatic shift in Canadian security discourse and reflects rapidly deteriorating trust between the two neighbors amid trade disputes and political tensions.
National Security Adviser Nathalie Drouin stated that "Canada has expectations regarding all countries, including the United States, that there is...no damage to our domestic affairs including our elections," according to CBC News.
AI and Deepfakes: The New Frontier
Canadian election watchdogs warn that artificial intelligence and deepfakes will likely be weaponized in the next federal election. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison emphasized the rapid evolution of these threats: "Look at how fast all this is going...it's a tool that all adversaries will use."
The expected forms of interference include deepfakes—AI-generated synthetic or manipulated images and video—online disinformation campaigns, and coordinated inauthentic behavior across social media platforms. These tools allow foreign actors to create convincing but entirely fabricated content designed to mislead voters or suppress turnout.
To understand today's headlines, we must look at yesterday's decisions. Canada has previously faced election interference from China, which targeted a Conservative candidate, and from Russia, which engaged in online foreign influence activities. But the explicit inclusion of the United States on the list of potential threat actors represents a watershed moment in Canadian-American relations.
Deteriorating Relations with Washington
The warning must be understood in the context of recent Canadian-American tensions. President Donald Trump's provocative suggestions about Canada becoming the "51st state," his administration's meetings with Alberta separatists, and ongoing trade disputes have created an atmosphere of distrust in Ottawa.
Canadian officials appear concerned that American political actors—whether government-linked or private entities aligned with US political movements—might seek to influence Canadian elections to install a government more amenable to American interests. The fear is not necessarily of coordinated US government action, but rather of sophisticated influence operations emanating from American territory.
Preparations and Countermeasures
Authorities indicate they will monitor threats "in an agnostic way—regardless of which country tries to engage in foreign interference." The government has developed cyber briefings for Members of Parliament and training to identify deepfake content.
Canadian security services detected some interference attempts in the 2025 election cycle but determined they did not reach a threshold threatening overall election integrity. However, officials worry that AI capabilities have advanced so rapidly that future interference could be far more sophisticated and harder to detect.
The challenge for Canada lies in balancing election security with free speech and avoiding the perception of censorship. Any government effort to label content as foreign-generated misinformation risks being weaponized by domestic political actors who may cry foul when their own messaging is questioned.
A New Era in Election Security
The explicit warning about American interference reflects a broader reality: election interference is no longer primarily the domain of authoritarian adversaries. Democratic nations with advanced technological capabilities and partisan political ecosystems can generate interference—intentionally or as spillover from domestic political activity.
Whether Canada can effectively defend its electoral integrity against AI-driven threats from multiple directions, including its closest ally, will test the resilience of democratic institutions in an era when reality itself can be convincingly fabricated.
The next Canadian federal election, expected within the coming year, will serve as a test case for whether democracies can adapt their defenses faster than adversaries can evolve their attack methods. Ottawa's explicit warning puts all potential interferers—foreign governments, private actors, and ideological movements—on notice that Canada is watching.
