What did Justin Trudeau say about Tucker Carlson and Jordan Peterson during election interference testimony?

As Canada’s Foreign Interference Commission continues its inquiry into other countries’ involvement in its democratic processes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave evidence under oath on Wednesday (16 October) which saw him name right-wing commentators Jordan Peterson and Tucker Carlson as media figures funded by Russian state media.

Set up in September 2023, the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions has already published an initial report in which it named China as a “main perpetrator of foreign interference” against Canada.

The May report also pointed to Russia, India, Pakistan and Iran as “possible foreign interference actors” but said of Russia that it is “likely not currently a significant foreign interference threat” to Canada’s federal elections.

Commissioner and Justice Marie-Josée Hogue concluded foreign interference did not undermine the integrity of the country’s electoral system, nor did it impact which political party was successful in the 2019 or 2021 elections but that it nevertheless did impact “the broader electoral ecosystem”.

The inquiry has now turned its attention to the capacity of federal bodies to “detect, deter and counter” foreign interference, which explains PM Trudeau being asked to give evidence.

During his cross-examination by lawyer Guillaume Sirois, acting for the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance (RCDA), Trudeau was shown multiple headlines from Russia Today – a broadcaster funded by the Russian state – relating to the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests of 2022 concerning Covid vaccine requirements placed on Canadian long-haul truck drivers.

Following this, Trudeau commented: “We have seen that anti-vaxx messages during the convoy and pandemic were amplified by Russian propaganda, especially in the media of the right.

“Once Ukraine was invaded, we saw a lot of those channels become pro-Putin propaganda channels.

“As I’ve said, we’ve recently seen that RT is currently funding bloggers and other personalities of the right such as Jordan Peterson - other names that are well-known are Tucker Carlson, as well - in order to amplify messages that are destabilising democracies.”

Many social media users haven’t been left surprised by the Canadian PM’s comments, as they referenced Carlson’s visit to Russia earlier this year which saw him interview Vladimir Putin.

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton branded Carlson a “useful idiot” ahead of the controversial interview and Putin himself would go on to brutally criticise the ex-Fox News host for a lack of “sharp questions” and not getting “full satisfaction” from the conversation.

Just days later, Carlson was slammed for “disgusting” remarks about Putin critic Alexei Navalny when he told a summit in Dubai that “every leader kills people, including my leader”.

“Every leader kills people – some kill more than others. Leadership requires killing people, sorry,” he said.

Navalny died in a Russian prison back in February after he “felt unwell”, with many political figures blaming Putin and his government for the death of the activist who was poisoned with the deadly nerve agent Novichok in 2020 for which he claimed the Russian president was responsible.

As for Peterson, he has since responded to Trudeau’s remarks on Twitter/X by jokingly writing: “Hey Russians! Where the hell is my money?

“@JustinTrudeau strikes again, whiffing at a foul ball. Rubles are stuffed in my mattress. Comfortable. Tee hee, @JustinTrudeau.”

Carlson, meanwhile, does not appear to have commented on Trudeau’s testimony.

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