Foreign influence campaigns exploit Canada’s housing and immigration debates

Foreign influence campaigns are increasingly exploiting Canada’s housing crisis and immigration debates to deepen social and political divisions, according to an analysis by Ji Young Kim of the NATO Association of Canada’s Centre for Disinformation Studies.

The tactic involves taking real economic issues—such as high housing prices, rising construction costs, and mortgage rates—and amplifying divisive explanations. Rather than relying on outright falsehoods, these campaigns use domestic commentators to make narratives appear authentic and homegrown. By manipulating context and stripping away alternative explanations, foreign actors can redirect public frustration toward immigrants or the government.

Kim notes that because population growth is highly visible, immigration becomes an effective vehicle for manipulation. The argument that more people are competing for limited housing contains an element of economic reality, making it harder to detect than fabricated claims. The analysis references the case of Tenet Media, a Tennessee-based company allegedly financed by Russian state-controlled entities, as an example of such influence efforts.