The Parti Québécois (PQ) will resume buying advertising on Meta platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, because it believes it must play on a level playing field with the other parties ahead of the next general election.
The political party’s executive adopted a resolution this week that calls for an end to the boycott of Meta that began in the summer of 2023, when the social networking giant decided to block Canadian media content on its platforms.
Initially, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) and the Liberal Party (PLQ) were also part of this protest movement, but they have resumed buying ads on Meta in recent months.
Québec Solidaire (QS) and the Conservative Party (PCQ) have not boycotted Meta.
Although it points out that it has won two by-elections without buying advertising on Meta platforms, the PQ argues that it must “play on equal terms going forward” and “have the same resources as (its) opponents.”
If it continued to go it alone in this battle, it feared it would be faced with a “distortion of the electoral result if it failed to reach voters.”
In a message posted on Facebook on Thursday, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon admitted that it was “frustrating to have to announce this news.”
“I therefore reiterate that if the other parties are prepared to change their minds, the best solution is still for all of them to undertake not to buy advertising on Meta,” he wrote. “The offer to renegotiate such an agreement between the parties with a view to the 2026 general election still stands.”
Support for local media
While the PQ will resume buying advertising on Meta’s social networks, it is committed to investing the same amount in local media.
“In other words, for every dollar spent on Meta, we will invest a dollar or more to buy advertising in our Quebec media,” St-Pierre Plamondon promised. “Our criticisms of Meta and its treatment of our media and our democracy remain intact. You will continue to hear from me on this subject.”
Meta has been blocking Canadian media pages on its platforms since the House of Commons passed Bill C-18, which forces web giants to pay royalties to the media for sharing their content.
Despite an initial protest movement, several political parties and organisations argued that they had no choice but to resume buying advertising on Meta’s platforms, particularly to reach young people.
Thousands of dollars
According to the data presented on Meta’s “advertising library,” the PLQ and CAQ have both spent more than $10,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads since the start of 2025.
In the case of the PLQ, the ads relate to the leadership race, which is due to culminate in June with the election of the new leader.
The CAQ bought advertising to promote its candidate in the Terrebonne byelection, Alex Gagné, who was eventually defeated by PQ candidate Catherine Gentilcore. It also pays for advertising linked to government achievements.
In 2025, Québec Solidaire paid around $1,000 to run three ads on the Stablex issue. Last autumn, the party paid for ads to introduce its new female spokesperson, Ruba Ghazal.
In the Conservative Party, most of the ads are on the page of leader, Éric Duhaime. Since the beginning of the year, the ads have cost him around $3,500, according to a compilation by The Canadian Press.
The five main federal parties are all advertising on Meta platforms as part of the current election campaign.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 18, 2025.
