As a proud second-generation Canadian community newspaper publisher, who is the lead plaintiff on a class-action lawsuit to make sure U.S.-based tech giants don’t rip off publishers like me, I was gobsmacked to see that the Government of Canada is using my hard-earned taxpayer dollars to resume advertising with Meta Platforms.
Anyone who watched the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump will know that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg seems more interested in checking out Lauren Sanchez than he does about fact-checking the content on his platforms, which spew misinformation and disinformation faster and more broadly than anything in human history. In fact, he fired his fact-checkers, seemingly to curry favour with President Trump.
Here are the facts my fellow Canadians should know about federal ad spending. Last year, according to the government’s annual report on its advertising activities, the feds spent more than $75 million on advertising. I don’t have an issue with spending this kind of money to inform Canadians about what their government is doing. But I have a problem with how the government is trying to reach Canadians.
Of that $75 million or so, the feds spent nearly $40 million on digital ads, including over $8.5 million on search engine marketing and more than $6.5 million on social media. In comparison, radio got just $2.5 million and print publications received less than $1.4 million. That’s about two per cent of all federal ad spending on every English, French and ethnic newspaper and magazine throughout the entire country. Yet 86 per cent of Canadians read a newspaper weekly. Newspapers, and ads in newspapers, are trusted.
Here’s a case in point: Recently, Totum Research conducted an online survey on behalf of News Media Canada, which found that almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of Canadians trust advertising in newspapers and news websites, while just 28 per cent trust ads they see on Facebook and Instagram. When it comes to their preferred medium to receive information about federal programs, more than half (58 per cent) of respondents cited newspapers or news websites, while only 17 per cent chose Facebook or Instagram.
The feds need to instruct their agencies to get their advertising acts together. For inspiration, they should look to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who came up with a simple, common-sense solution that doesn’t cost Ontario taxpayers one extra cent. His government and its Crown corporations — like the LCBO, OLG, the Ontario Cannabis Store and Metrolinx — are now spending 25 per cent of their ad budgets on local publications. This supports a local Canadian industry that is losing ad dollars to American tech giants.
Local community newspaper publishers like me want the federal government to adopt Ford’s common-sense approach. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, along with Liberal leadership hopefuls Mark Carney, Karina Gould and Chrystia Freeland should pledge to resume the federal ban on advertising with Meta. If their campaigns want to use Meta, that’s their business, but no Canadian taxpayer dollars should be flowing to the company.
Donald Trump’s tariff threats and his rants about annexing Canada are probably the biggest contributors to Canadian pride since the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup way back in 1993. Like most patriotic folks I know, when I’m at the grocery store, I’m now double-checking labels to make sure my beef is from Alberta and my apples are from British Columbia. And I’m buying Ontario and B.C. wine, too.
Likewise, our federal government has to get in sync with Canadians when it comes to its advertising spend. Come on, Canada: let’s support the home team — and would an all-Canadian Stanley Cup final between Toronto and Edmonton or Winnipeg be too much to ask for?
Postmedia Network
Lisa Sygutek is owner and publisher of the Crowsnest Pass Herald.