Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Shekhovtsov and Mr. Scott, my question is for both of you, and you can answer in turn.
It has to do with a fairly recent controversy in Canada. I don't know if you've heard about it. People wanted to present the documentary Russians at War at the Toronto International Film Festival. This documentary was made by a Russian-Canadian documentary filmmaker, Anastasia Trofimova. Some people say it's obviously Russian propaganda, and that it was filmed illegally in occupied Ukrainian territory. Others say it's not Russian propaganda and that it was financed by France and Canada. Canada did indeed donate a few hundred thousand dollars for the production of this film.
How does one go about detecting or differentiating between the different forms that propaganda can take in Canada?
I don't want to make allegations, and I don't want to say that this film is propaganda, but there was controversy nonetheless. The Deputy Prime Minister said she was uncomfortable with the fact that it was funded by the Canadian government. The Ukrainian MPs I met last week made us aware of this. I don't know if the president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress mentioned it. I know she was here at the last committee meeting. However, it's still something that's floating around in the news. We're wondering whether we should make room for it. We wonder if it could be a form of propaganda.
How do you think we can untangle all this?
Mr. Scott, would you like to speak first?