The framework for a parliamentary investigation into Tenet Media, the Canadian-owned company that was allegedly paid by Russian nationals to produce pro-Russia propaganda, could be in place as early as next Thursday, The Logic has learned.

On Tuesday, MP Chris Bittle and other Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) called for an investigation into Tenet, which is registered in Tennessee but operated by Canadians Liam Donovan and Lauren Chen. Another business operated by the couple, called Roaming Millennial, was incorporated in 2017 and lists an address in Hudson, Que. “Roaming Millennial” was Chen’s online moniker when she began posting in 2016. 

In a letter to SECU chair Ron McKinnon, Bittle and other Liberal SECU members said the committee should investigate how Russia and other foreign actors are using conservative platforms to influence Canadian politics and public opinion.

“The involvement of Canadian citizens and a Canadian company in these schemes represents a serious threat to our national security and democratic process,” the letter reads. It further calls on Canadian political parties to ensure they haven’t engaged in Russian interference—or with Donovan, Chen or Lauren Southern, one of Tenet’s conservative influencers. 

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor, a SECU member, told The Logic he was in favour of an investigation into Tenet. MacGregor’s participation would fulfil the requirement of having at least two political parties calling for action. “With [MacGregor’s] support and no filibuster, this is something we could adopt pretty quickly,” Bittle said, adding it would be Thursday at the earliest. 

The Privy Council Office, which advises the prime minister and cabinet, has already contacted at least one expert to testify in an investigation, according to the expert in question, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the matter. 

Neither Conservative SECU vice-chair Doug Shipley nor Bloc Québécois spokesperson Joanie Riopel, who represents SECU vice-chair Kristina Michaud, responded to a request for comment.

The SECU would likely be able to identify Tenet’s Canadian bank allegedly used in its transactions with the Russian nationals, Bittle said.  

According to a U.S. Department of Justice affidavit, two employees of Russian state broadcaster RT paid US$9.7 million to an entity named as “Company-1,” widely reported to be Tenet Media, to produce and disseminate content from well-known conservative influencers on immigration and foreign policy, among other divisive social issues.

Donovan and Chen, who are married, incorporated Tenet Media in 2022. The couple produced thousands of videos “often consistent with the Government of Russia’s interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to “weaken U.S. opposition to core Government of Russia interests, such as its ongoing war in Ukraine,” according to the indictment. 

YouTube has since removed Tenet Media’s channel, though its content is still available on Rumble, a Toronto-based video platform popular with right-wing users.