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Draft:Marcus Kolga

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Marcus Kolga (born August 6, 1973, in Toronto) is a Canadian journalist, filmmaker, digital communications strategist, and human rights activist of Estonian descent. He is recognized for his expertise in Russian and Central and Eastern European affairs, with a particular focus on disinformation and foreign influence operations. In 2023, Toronto Life Magazine named him as one of the 50 most influential Torontonians[1]for his work on fighting foreign authoritarian disinformation.

Education and early life

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Kolga graduated from the University of Illinois, where he studied political science from 1991 to 1994.

Advocacy and campaigns

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In 2008, Kolga spearheaded[2] the initiative to establish August 23 as Black Ribbon Day in Canada, commemorating the European victims of Nazism and communism. He drafted the parliamentary resolution, which was introduced and passed by Hon. Bob Rae.

Kolga led the Canadian civil society campaign advocating for the adoption of Magnitsky legislation, aimed at sanctioning human rights violators. He wrote and spoke regularily in Canadian national media in support of Magnitsky sanctioning legislation and was awarded the 2017 Magnitksy Award for Outstanding Contribution to the campaign.[3] He continues to advocate for global human rights and democracy activists.[4]

Kolga publicly advocated in Canada for the release of Russian human rights and pro-democracy opposition leader, Vladimir Kara-Murza.[5]

He continues to advocate for intensification of Canadian and Western sanctions against Russia and the repurposing of frozen Russian assets in Canada.[6]

Media and publications

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Kolga's articles have been featured in major publications, including The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post, and Maclean's.

  • In a 2023 Toronto Star column, he emphasized the importance of Ukraine's victory for global security, writing, "Ukraine's victory is not just a moral imperative: it will prevent Vladimir Putin from expanding his current conflict beyond Ukraine."
  • In a 2019 Maclean's article, he explored foreign influence in Canadian politics, stating, "As truth and facts fall victim to candidates who pander to groups aligned with Beijing, the erosion of our democracy may not fall far behind."


Interviews and Media Appearances

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Kolga is a frequent commentator on international affairs and human rights in Canadian broadcast media:

  • He appeared in a CTV W5 feature documentary[7] about Vladimir Putin and the oligarchs who support his regime, to discuss sanctions against Russia, highlighting the importance of targeted measures in curbing authoritarian aggression.
  • In March 2022, he appeared in the CTV W5 documentary "War in Ukraine" where he spoke about Kremlin disinformation about Ukraine, the war and NATO.[8]
  • On CPAC's "Disinformation and Democracy" series, he analyzed the impact of disinformation on democratic institutions and its use as a weapon by foreign authoritarian regimes.[9]

DisinfoWatch and policy work

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Kolga is the founder and director of DisinfoWatch, a platform dedicated to monitoring and exposing foreign disinformation and influence campaigns. His work with DisinfoWatch has been reported on by Toronto Life Magazine,[10] The Globe and Mail,[11] National Post,[12] He serves as a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute's Centre for Advancing Canada's Interests Abroad.

Awards and recognition

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In 2015, Kolga was awarded[13] the Estonian Order of the White Star, V Class, by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, in recognition of his contributions to human rights and democracy.

In October 2020, Kolga was awarded the Estonian Ministry of Interior Medal of Recognition, but publicly declined to accept it from the Minister of Estonian Diaspora Affairs, Riina Solman, due to the racist and homphobic positions of then Minister of Interior, Mart Helme, which was reported in Estonian national media.[14]

In March 2022, he was awarded[15] the Latvian Ministry of Defence Medal of Honourary Recognition by Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister Artis Pabriks.

In November 2022, Kolga was awarded[16] the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affair's Medal of Honour II Class by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Urmas Reinsalu.

In March 2022, Kolga was named by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Kremlin's sanctions blacklist.

Parliamentary testimony

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Kolga has testified in the U.S. Congress[17] and Canadian[18][19][20] Parliament on topics including Magnitsky sanctions,[21] Russian disinformation,[22] Russia's war against Ukraine,[23] and Interpol reform.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "The 50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2023". Toronto Life. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  2. ^ Events (2020-08-06). "Black Ribbon Day 2020 - The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) official website". www.ucc.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  3. ^ "Magnitsky Awards 2017 | The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards". 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  4. ^ Kolga, Marcus (2024-11-28). "Free Russia: How Canada and the West can counter Russia's authoritarian regime and help democracy flourish". Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  5. ^ "Opinion: To rid the world of Putin, we must support Russian heroes like Vladimir Kara-Murza". The Globe and Mail. 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  6. ^ Ling, Justin (2022-02-27). "Behind the push to freeze Moscow's foreign cash". POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  7. ^ Official W5 (2022-04-02). W5: The mind-boggling wealth and privilege of Russian oligarchs. Retrieved 2024-12-03 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Official W5 (2022-03-12). W5: Russia wages an online war of disinformation as it invades Ukraine. Retrieved 2024-12-03 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Disinformation and Democracy. Retrieved 2024-12-03 – via www.cpac.ca.
  10. ^ ""They're a threat to the entire political spectrum": This researcher is tracking how Russian bots are targeting Canadians". Toronto Life. 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  11. ^ "Conservative supporters show higher susceptibility to Russian disinformation: survey". The Globe and Mail. 2024-07-07. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  12. ^ Ari David, Blaff (August 1, 2024). "Disinformation experts warn Iran, Russia and others encouraging anti-Israel protests in Canada".
  13. ^ "president.ee". president.ee. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  14. ^ "Siseministeeriumi teenetemärgist keeldunud Marcus Kolga: tahame nii väga uhked eestlased olla, aga ei saa". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  15. ^ Byers-Lane, Brett (2022-03-30). "Marcus Kolga and Brian Lee Crowley awarded the Medal of Honorary Recognition". Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  16. ^ "Välisminister tunnustab välisministeeriumi teeneteristidega Eesti riikluse ja välispoliitika edendajaid | Välisministeerium". vm.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  17. ^ VES (2019-04-04). "Baltic Security Reports Introduced on Capitol Hill". Free Estonian Word. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  18. ^ "Evidence - SECU (44-1) - No. 121 - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  19. ^ "Evidence - ETHI (44-1) - No. 129 - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  20. ^ "Evidence - FAAE (44-1) - No. 5 - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  21. ^ "Evidence - FAAE (44-1) - No. 65 - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  22. ^ "National Defence Committee on Feb. 14th, 2023 | openparliament.ca". openparliament.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  23. ^ "Committee Report No. 10 - FAAE (44-1) - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  24. ^ "Evidence - SECU (42-1) - No. 138 - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
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