Canada asks regulator to examine Russian state broadcaster RT

The federal government has asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to review the presence of the Russian state-run broadcaster, RT, on Canada's airwaves.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says action is needed to combat falsehoods and disinformation by Russia about the invasion of Ukraine, including on social media.

The move follows the decision of Rogers, Bell and Shaw to pull the Kremlin- backed broadcaster from their lineup of channels.

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez applauded Telus for joining Canadian broadcasters "in giving RT the boot" in a tweet earlier today.

He thanked Shaw for removing RT from its network, saying "we must all do our part to fight back against Russia’s propaganda."

Rogers removed RT, formerly Russia Today, and replaced it with a broadcast of the Ukrainian flag.

The United Kingdom and European Union have already taken action to stop RT from broadcasting.

The news channel was founded in 2005 and broadcasts in more than 100 countries in many languages.