Ottawa keeps spending on influencers. Liberals say it's about stemming disinformation
Her kids are not reading the newspapers on her kitchen counter. Instead, they're looking at their phones to find information.
That's the example that Treasury Board President Anita Anand brings up when she's asked about the federal government's efforts to get its message out via payments to social-media influencers.
She says it worries her that actors who seek to spread disinformation can more easily do that on the platforms where members of the younger generation, including her own kids, spend their time.
Since 2021, federal government departments and agencies have spent at least $1.7 million on influencers, and influencer marketing campaigns and strategies, documents recently tabled in the House of Commons and publicly available contracts show.
It's just a fraction of what the government otherwise spends on traditional advertising.
"We need to evolve with the times," Anand, who holds the government's purse strings, said at a recent press conference.
Most of the social-media money is going towards institutions that have public service announcements to put out about health, travel or other topics that are also fodder for newspaper ads or commercials on TV and radio.
Health Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada are all tapping influencers, or people on social-media who have built large audiences and sometimes have a reputation for expertise on certain topics.
Not all departments disclosed their data in the recently published documents, citing a constraint on time.
Recent campaigns include ones focused on promoting the COVID-19 vaccine and food safety.
These are topics ripe for disinformation, argued Anand.
"We are now in an era where people debate what is true," she said.
"And in order to be in the realm of discussing the truth, we need to ensure that the work that we are doing in whatever portfolio is actually disseminated in an honest and clear way so that Canadians can understand what their taxpayer dollars are paying for."
Health Minister Mark Holland echoed the comments and invoked fears over foreign interference, saying governments such as Russia's are using modern technologies to destabilize democracies by questioning "what is and isn't true."
He oversees the federal bodies that are shelling out the most for influencers, with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada spending more than $1.3 million combined.
Influencers have been hired to put out government-approved messaging on topics such as safe cannabis use, dementia prevention, sexual health and mental-health resources.
"If we're not using alternative methods of communicating, then we're going to be failing to connect people to those services and they're rightfully going to be upset that they didn't get the opportunity to avail themselves," Holland said.
As the government turns to influencers for marketing, that doesn't mean it's leaving traditional media behind.
For example, Health Canada spent a total of $641,878 on contracts with digital marketing firms between 2021-22 and 2023-24, just 2.5 per cent of the total $25.7 million that was spent on all of Health Canada's marketing and advertising campaigns over the same time period.
The paid influencers are on a variety of platforms, including Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
They're also on TikTok, which was banned from government devices because of its potential national security risk and is under federal review.
The popular video app still remains an important platform for Ottawa to connect with Canadians, including millennials and Gen Z, whom the Liberals are trying to court ahead of the next federal election.
"We know that influencers are able to reach different sectors of the Canadian population through different media platforms," Anand said.
"That doesn't mean the decision relating to TikTok is somehow wrong. It just means that we need to be using safe platforms in order to disseminate the information about our policy and reach those particular sectors of the population."
Other departments have also used unpaid influencers to help promote the government's messaging by inviting them to some of their press conferences alongside traditional print and broadcast journalists.
That includes Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who invited unpaid influencers to the launch of this year's federal budget. Last year, similar outreach took place, with YouTube itself playing a part in facilitating the connections.
"A lot of Canadians get their information from other sources," Freeland said alongside her cabinet colleagues.
"And it's our responsibility to be sure that we are meeting Canadians where they are."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2024.
IN DEPTH
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trying to sell or buy a home this summer? What a realtor says you should know
In the first few weeks of summer, the real estate sector is experiencing an upturn marked by more housing inventory, a Canadian realtor says
What you need to know about a possible LCBO strike on Friday
Ontarians could see long lineups at LCBO stores across the province today as customers prepare for a possible strike that will close all LCBO locations for the next two weeks.
Nathan's hot dog eating contest: Bertoletti eats 58 hot dogs to claim Mustard Belt, Sudo wins 10th women's title
Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago has won his first men’s title at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, while dental hygiene student Miki Sudo of Florida has won her 10th title.
No Frills grocery stores drop 'multi-buy' offer
As receipts tick ever higher for Canadians at the grocery store and shoppers continue to search for savings, one Canadian grocer has ended a perceived deal.
Victoria and David Beckham recreate their wedding day photos 25 years later
The British power couple got hitched in 1999, fusing the worlds of fashion and football forever. While their marriage has endured 25 years later, the pair have come to regret some of the minor details of their big day.
Hurricane Beryl churns toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl ripped off roofs in Jamaica, jumbled fishing boats in Barbados and damaged or destroyed 95 per cent of homes on a pair of islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before rumbling toward the Cayman Islands and taking aim at Mexico's Caribbean coast after leaving at least seven dead in its wake.
Son asks court to sell B.C. home he co-owns with his mother, despite her objections
A B.C. judge has ordered the sale of a Surrey home despite the objections of the woman who lives there, who owns it jointly with her son.
Will Justin Trudeau step down, or stay on? Survey shows what Canadians think
A majority of Canadians think Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will stay on to lead his party in the next election even as his approval ratings are still extremely low, a new poll suggests.
Ottawa landlord left with hefty bill after tenant trashes rental property
A landlord in Ottawa is facing thousands of dollars in repairs after his tenant left his only rental property damaged and disorderly.
Local Spotlight
This pet chicken from B.C. is now a Guinness World Record holder
Lacey may look like just another pet chicken on Emily Carrington’s B.C. property. But she has a title her coop mates don’t: Guinness World Record holder.
Vancouver's 'Phil Wizard' first-ever breaker named to Canada's Olympic team
Philip Kim, who competes as "B-Boy Phil Wizard," is set to make Canadian sports history this summer as the country's first-ever Olympic breaking athlete.
New documentary explores the increased number of white shark observations
A new documentary filmed in Nova Scotia by marine biologist and veterinarian Dr. Chris Harvey Clark explores the increased number of white shark observations in Canadian waters.
'A steal for the international buyer': Whistler mansion listed for $17.9M
A never-before-lived-in mansion in Whistler is on the market for $17.9 million – with the listing describing it as a 'steal for the international buyer' due to the current exchange rate, which puts the price in U.S. dollars at $13.1 million.
'Traffic's too bad': Niall Horan walks to his own concert in Toronto
Irish singer Niall Horan had to ditch his car and walk to Scotiabank Arena where his concert was being held last weekend because the traffic was 'too bad' downtown.
Raves, weddings, and field trips: GTA residents share memories of shuttered Ontario Science Centre
A rave at the Ontario Science Centre was the place where Greg LeBlanc says his relationship first began with his husband Mark in 1997.
Travellers watch as WestJet cancels flights with no end to mechanics strike in sight
Travellers flying with WestJet continue to watch as the airline cancels more flights due to a sudden strike by its mechanics union.
An unknown Newfoundland soldier killed in the First World War is being laid to rest
The remains of a soldier from Newfoundland killed in the battlefields of France during the First World War will be laid to rest in St. John's Monday, bringing an emotional end to a years-long effort in a place still shaken and forever changed by the bloodshed.
AHS water quality tests come back clean: Calgary moves forward with stabilizing service
The city is entering the final stages of resuming water service through its repaired feeder main, as water consumption continues to fall below the city’s threshold level.