False: Justin Trudeau is spending over $100 million of taxpayers' money to promote Klaus Schwab's agenda of enslaving people.

Context

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has become a target for conspiracy theorists, who have linked the organization to conspiracies such as The Great Reset. As governments worldwide adopt digitization, theories are being spread online, cautioning that this digitization enables constant monitoring and restricts mobility.

Instagram page @healthandjustice recently shared a post by Canadian Conservative MP Dr. Leslyn Lewis with the caption "Trudeau Treason," claiming she had found evidence that PM Trudeau has given $100,000,000 to Schwab to turn citizens into enslaved people.

Lewis, in her post, said that the Canadian government has finally admitted in writing that they have an ongoing $105.3 million contract with WEF to introduce digital identities for travelers in Canada. Lewis pointed to her correspondence with Transport Minister Omar Alghabra in June as evidence the conspiracy was now "real." The post has garnered more than 350 likes and received many comments, but it contains a false claim.

In fact

Lewis has been a staunch critic of the WEF and the adoption of digital identity programs, stating that she will confront any proposal by the WEF head Klaus Schwab. She alleges that Schwab has control over Prime Minister Trudeau and his cabinet, thus undermining the democratic values of Canada. The MP also stated in her blog that Canadians have not agreed to the government's "Known Traveller Digital Identity" program (KTDI), and that she would oppose every policy of the WEF.

The KTDI program was first introduced in 2018 and is part of an international effort to reduce the paper burden on travelers while enhancing security. The KTDI website lists the Government of Canada as a pilot partner alongside the WEF, Air Canada, the Toronto Pearson International Airport, the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, and others.

Canada has been involved in the project since 2018, but the official figures were revealed for the first time in the 2021 budget. According to Alghabra's document, the "Budget 2021 proposed $105.3 million over five years, starting in 2021-22." and "Transport Canada has to date spent $428,671 on salaries and $220,830 on non-salaries" related to the KTDI program. The information is publicly available, and there is no contract between WEF and the Canadian government. In any case, the pilot program has not yet begun, and participation is voluntary for travelers. The $105.3 million figure referred to is the five-year project budget, which has not been spent yet. The document also mentions that the project is based on voluntary contributions from all partners.

Conservative MP Lewis has previously been criticized by public health and legal experts for fearmongering against the proposed pandemic treaty, which she said would take power away from Canadian politicians. Lewis's latest posts concerning digital identities follow a similar narrative of criticism against the Canadian government.

Many such claims linked with the Great Reset and the WEF suggest that the "elites" of the world are planning to arrest and enslave the population, and the people who believe this will look for signs and messages that this is happening. These baseless and fictitious theories are harmful and have anti-semitic origins. They can lead to real-life violent acts online and offline. 

The verdict:

The KTDI project was announced four years ago, and a false narrative is being spread that the Canadian government has entered into a contract. The project was planned to make cross-border travel easier and safer, but it has yet to take off. The WEF is one of the project's many partners, and no contract exists. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.