Agency Report

Major Canadian TV providers have pulled Russian state television network RT from their output, they announced separately Sunday.

The move to take the station off the airwaves came days after Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking the biggest security crisis in Europe since the Cold War ended.

Regularly accused of contributing to disinformation, RT is in the crosshairs of several Western nations, which accuse it of being a Kremlin mouthpiece.

A spokeswoman for Bell, one of Canada’s biggest TV providers, told AFP: “Since February 27, RT is no longer available on Bell channels.”

And Rogers tweeted: “We have made the decision that effective tomorrow, Russia Today will no longer be available on our channel lineup.”

Another TV operator, Telus, said it too would drop RT, as did Shaw Communications.

Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, speaking after the initial Bell announcement, welcomed the decision.