Trudeau commits to fighting 'disinformation' and joining G7 'Climate Club' to achieve net-zero

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a joint news conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, where he announced more funding in what he called the fight against disinformation to "defend and strengthen democracy."

Trudeau announced that he would renew the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism, an initiative that was introduced four years ago to strengthen coordination between G7 countries in responding to threats from "disinformation from foreign actors."

"It responds to threats from people who want to undermine our democracies, including through disinformation," said Trudeau, who dedicated $3 million specifically against Russian disinformation against Ukraine.

"We need to stand up for truth and be vigilant against disinformation that tries to mislead us and more tries to divide us," said the prime minister.

Trudeau then went on to say that Canada and Germany were aligned in their goals to reach a green, net-zero economy.

"We're working with Germany to expand the adoption of carbon pricing around the world," he said, saying he was glad to join the chancellor's G7 "Climate Club" proposal.

"This is about building a safe healthy future for our kids and grandkids," he said.

Earlier this year, it was announced by Scholz, who recently replaced long-time Chancellor Angela Merkel, that he would aim to use the G7 to turn the group to "a nucleus of an international climate club."

Scholz made the announcement at the World Economic Forum "Davos Agenda" event.

"What we want to achieve is a paradigm shift in international climate policy," said Scholz, according to Clean Energy Wire. "We will no longer wait for the slowest and least ambitious. Instead, we will lead by example, and we will turn climate action from a cost factor into a competitive advantage, by agreeing on joint minimum standards."