Marcus, along with co-authors, Jennie Phillips, Brian McQuinn and Matthew E. Taylor argue that public awareness is one of Canada’s strongest defences against foreign information operations and threats to the country’s “cognitive sovereignty” — the ability of citizens to form opinions and participate in democratic debate free from external manipulation.
Drawing on their research into foreign narratives targeting the Alberta independence debate, the authors examine how Russian state-linked operations and U.S.-based influencers have sought to exploit domestic divisions, while generative AI is making influence campaigns cheaper, faster and easier to conduct at scale.
They argue that exposing the actors, narratives and tactics behind these operations can function as a form of “democratic inoculation,” helping Canadians recognize manipulation and make political decisions on their own terms.