CLAIM: An image shows a Facebook post by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying that people should avoid texting and talking on the phone with unvaccinated friends and family and ādo everything you can to make life difficult for them until they comply.ā
APāS ASSESSMENT: False. The post was fabricated. The message does not appear on Trudeauās social media accounts, and his office confirmed to The Associated Press that it is not real.
THE FACTS: A manipulated image made to look like a post from the verified Facebook account of Canadaās prime minister is circulating widely across social media after a convoy of truckers descended on the countryās capital to protest vaccine requirements.
The three-paragraph post says the convoy āneeds to stopā because it is ādividing Canadaā and goes on to say, āEveryone knows I am the Prime-Minister that is about unity and inclusion.ā
āPlease help do your part to make this stop,ā the fabricated post continues. āIf you have family or friends that still havenāt been vaccinated, do not allow them to family dinners, do not speak to them on the phone, do not reply to their texts. You need to do everything you can to make life difficult for them until they comply.ā
The final paragraph of the post highlights Quebec Premier Francois Legaultās move to require vaccines at big-box stores in the province, and tells people to do their part.
The post racked up thousands of retweets on Twitter, with users claiming Trudeau posted and later deleted it. But it doesnāt represent any real post from Trudeau, his office confirmed to the AP on Wednesday.
An AP review of Trudeauās social media accounts, including his verified Facebook account, found no evidence of a post matching the image. Thereās also no evidence of any posts encouraging people to avoid texting or calling unvaccinated friends or family.
The postās language also didnāt match the style of other posts from Trudeau. For example, the post purports to show Trudeau labeling himself as a āPrime-Ministerā but his office does not include the hyphen in its communications.
Trudeau has shared multiple legitimate responses to the trucker convoy on his social media accounts, including a post acknowledging the pandemic is frustrating while condemning āthe behavior displayed by some people protesting in our nationās capital.ā
