Field Guide to Online Political Conversations

Field Guide to Online Political Conversations: How to Argue with Civility

September 18, 2019

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Field Guide to Online Political Conversations

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The Samara Centre for Democracy is delighted to welcome Gregory Belton, Executive Chairman of HUB International, and Petros Kusmu, Founder & CEO of Alpine Vistas Capital, to our Board of Directors.

Welcoming Gregory Belton and Petros Kusmu to our Board of Directors

On July 14th, 2025 our Director of Research and Policy Beatrice Wayne was invited to provide expert testimony before British Columbia’s Special Committee on Democratic and Electoral Reform.

Samara Centre Advises BC Special Committee on Democratic and Electoral Reform

The five-episode series covers a wide range of themes, including society and technology, diasporic identity and politics, democratic innovation, law and history, and policy, power and governance.

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Former Green Party leader, Annamie Paul, lets us in on the covert, cross-partisan group chat that helped her survive politics.

Episode 1: This Group Chat Will Surprise You

The Samara Centre for Democracy Celebrates Renewal on its Board of Directors and Receives a $1 Million Gift from the MacMillan Family Foundation

Celebrating Renewal on Our Board of Directors and a $1M gift from The MacMillan Family Foundation

The Samara Centre for Democracy launches Group Chat, a five-part series featuring 11 active citizens including Annamie Paul, Audrey Tang and Bianca Wylie

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We looked at where federal candidates were showing on social media, specifically exploring which candidates were present and active on the growing social media platform Bluesky, and whether use of X (formerly Twitter) had increased or decreased by candidates since the 2021 election.

Federal Election Report 5: Growing number of politicians on Bluesky, and fewer candidates on X

Searching for content about the Canadian election on YouTube, we discovered that Indian news media appeared at the top of search results - these videos were highly viewed and highly commented on.

Federal Election Report 4: Indian media prominent in Canadian election discussions on YouTube

Your vote matters, so how can you feel prepared to cast your ballot or talk to candidates?

Your Vote 2025

With misinformation and disinformation spreading fast on social media during elections, it’s easy to feel unsure about what’s real and what’s not.

Feeling overwhelmed by political noise online? You're not alone.

Navigating a federal election can feel overwhelming, especially with so much happening in politics. From analyzing party platforms and key issues to getting to know the candidates, there’s a lot to consider.

Our Guide to the 2025 Federal Election

Reddit is a key platform for linking to, sharing, and discussing Canadian news. But what kinds of new sources are shared and discussed?

Federal Election Report 3: What media sources are shaping Canadian Reddit?

When we vote in a federal election, we select from a list of candidates, in most cases with a political party beside each name. But how exactly do these names get there?

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For this report, we analyzed 56,136 Reddit comments made on r/Canada between March 24, 2025 at 00:00 ET and March 27, 2025 at 23:59 ET, made on 278 different r/Canada submissions. This period encompasses the first four days of the 2025 federal election period.

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Federal Election Report 1: Power Users Dominate the Discussion on r/Canada

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Research Director Beatrice Wayne shares solutions from SAMbot Alberta to combat online abuse, fake engagement, and inauthentic activity.

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The Samara Centre for Democracy is frequently asked to provide commentary and analysis on a range of topics related to civic engagement and political participation. We regularly appear in print, broadcast and digital news networks across the country.

Samara Centre in the Media

SAMbot has received national media coverage and been presented at meetings across governmental, policy, technology, human rights and academic spaces.

SAMbot In The Media

Humans of the House dominates the podcast charts - this time on Goodpods.

Humans of the House ranked #2 in Goodpods Top 100 Canadian Politics Pods

The Pointer interviewed Research Director Beatrice Wayne on the importance of strengthening communication between candidates and voters.

Beatrice Wayne on Enhancing Candidate-Voter Communication in The Pointer

In today’s Globe and Mail, Research Director Beatrice Wayne and Senior Research Coordinator Alex MacIsaac share insight from our latest report: Astroturfing and Abuse: The 2023 SAMbot General Election Report.

Samara Centre’s Latest Findings Featured in the Globe and Mail

Campaign strategist and community organizer Dave Meslin’s six-part documentary series, Unrigged is now streaming on TVO and on YouTube.

TVO Documentary, Unrigged, Now Streaming

In the 2023 Alberta election, we observed a significant amount of what may be inauthentic or fake, artificially generated engagement on Twitter. This included a very small number of users producing a disproportionate amount of abuse and a high number of potential bot accounts.

Inauthentic Engagement in the Alberta Election Discourse

The Samara Centre for Democracy monitored activity on Twitter¹ during the 2023 Alberta election as part of our SAMbot project, a multi-year machine learning initiative that measures abusive content received by Canadian political candidates on social media.

Astroturfing and Abuse: The 2023 SAMbot Alberta General Election Report

Party leaders Rachel Notley and Danielle Smith’s Twitter accounts had the most engagement of all tracked accounts.

Abuse across partisan lines, LGBTQ+ issues, and first-time candidates

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Sabreena Delhon, CEO of the Samara Centre for Democracy, offers practical advice for Canadians looking to enhance their civic engagement.

CEO Sabreena Delhon Shares Civic Engagement Tips in University of Alberta’s New Trail Alumni Magazine

On Wednesday, January 8, The Samara Centre for Democracy along with the Government of Canada’s Open Government Team co-hosted a discussion about advancing open government in Canada.

Samara Centre Hosts Discussion on Advancing Open Government

A number of Canadian politicians have resigned from their posts, citing online abuse as a reason. But there is little data to quantify the amount and nature of that abuse.

Samara Centre’s SAMbot Research Featured in The Parliamentarian

The Samara Centre for Democracy's French-language podcast, Les Personnages de la Chambre, has been nominated for Best Podcast in the Consumer category at the 2024 Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA).

Les Personnages de la Chambre Nominated for Best Podcast (Consumer Category) by the Canadian Online Publishing Awards

On January 6, 2025, Governor General Mary Simon granted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request to prorogue Parliament until March 24, 2025.

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In a period of democratic backsliding, the work of the Samara Centre for Democracy is more urgent and relevant than ever before.

2024 Highlights

In 2024, the Samara Centre team published timely analyses on technology's impact on democracy, political engagement, and civic participation in Canada, sharing insights across mainstream, policy, and peer-reviewed outlets.

2024 Publications

Humans of the House has received national media coverage and has been the #1 show in the Government category for several weeks on Apple Podcasts where it has also been featured as a New & Noteworthy Special Series.

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CEO Sabreena Delhon Featured in CPAC Documentary on Online Harms and Cyberbullying

Our CEO, Sabreena Delhon, received a King Charles III Coronation Medal, presented at a special ceremony hosted at the Samara Centre’s office on November 1st.

CEO Sabreena Delhon receives King Charles III Coronation Medal

On Wednesday, December 4th, more than 400 people attended The Walrus Talks at Home: Polarization.

CEO Sabreena Delhon Participates in Walrus Talks Panel on Polarization

Samara Centre for Democracy CEO, Sabreena Delhon and Connie Walker, this year’s In Defence of Democracy feature speaker appeared on CTV’s The Social on November 12th, 2024 to promote our annual event.

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Donate to the Samara Centre this Giving Tuesday

On October 10th, we hosted an intimate gathering to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tragedy in the Commons, the bestselling book by Samara Centre co-founders Alison Loat and Michael MacMillan.

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To mark the 10th anniversary of Tragedy in the Commons our co-founders Alison Loat and Michael MacMillan reunited for a special bonus episode of Humans of the House hosted by Samara Centre CEO Sabreena Delhon.

Bonus Humans of the House Episode Featured in The Hill Times

On October 2nd, the Samara Centre hosted Democratic Innovation: What’s Needed, What’s Not Necessary, What’s Next featuring panelists Malorie Flon (Institute du Nouveau Monde), Bianca Wylie (Digital Public) and Sarah Yaffe (MASS LBP).

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In this special bonus episode, we celebrate and reflect upon the tenth anniversary of the bestseller book, Tragedy in the Commons, written by Samara Centre for Democracy co-founders, Alison Loat and Michael MacMillan. Samara Centre CEO Sabreena Delhon hosts this conversation to ask, what has changed? What has stayed the same? Where are the fault lines in Canadian democracy?

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Xiao Hua Gong spent a lot on advertising, and though those expenses didn’t translate into success at the polls, it showcased how big campaign budgets alone can reach into communities — sometimes in unexpected ways.

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Mayoral runner-up Ana Bailão proved that offline success didn’t necessarily require high online engagement.

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Chloe Brown and Anthony Furey were among the most successful mayoral candidates, but as political outsiders, they faced barriers breaking into media opportunities.

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The eventual mayor and a fringe candidate had similar engagement and levels of abuse — but very different experiences online.

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Cet épisode présente Monsieur Rémi Massé, qui a représenté la circonscription québécoise d’Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia à la Chambre des communes pour le Parti Libéral du Canada

Les Personnages de la Chambre Épisode 4: Rémi Massé

Cet épisode présente Madame Linda Lapointe, qui a représenté la circonscription québécoise de Rivière-des-Mille-Îles à la Chambre des communes pour le Parti Libéral du Canada

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Cet épisode présente Monsieur Steven Blaney, qui a représenté la circonscription québécoise de Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis à la Chambre des communes pour le Parti conservateur du Canada

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