To the Government of Canada,
Canada’s sovereignty and economy is under threat from abroad. More than ever,
Canadians must be free to decide our own country’s future.
A strong, plural and free news media is an essential ingredient to our democracy: a
healthy industry that serves and is beholden to Canadians, not foreign tech giants.
Our Canadian publications have always stood for a strong and independent Canada.
We applaud the Government of Canada’s ambition to build Canada strong, and
commitment in the forthcoming Budget to Buy Canadian.
Last year, our federal government including agencies and Crown corporations spent
over $100 million on advertising. Most of it went to U.S. Big Tech.1
Why are we funding American tech monopolies that extract tens of billions a year out
of Canada — largely untaxed — at the expense of local journalism and culture, and
whose platforms have become vectors for division and disinformation?
Unlike them, we are accountable to Canadians and legally liable for what we publish.
Our professional journalists chase the truth, not algorithms. We produce reliable,
trustworthy information, not clickbait and AI slop.
Let’s reinvest our ad dollars in Canada. In Budget 2025, the Government of
Canada should follow Ontario’s lead and set aside a minimum of 25% of its
advertising budgets for Canadian news media.
At no additional cost to taxpayers, the government can support local jobs while
getting its message out in a brand safe environment. Far fewer Canadians trust ads
on Facebook and Instagram than those published by Canadian news media.2
Buying Canadian advertising in Canadian news media is both the right and smart
thing to do.
Respectfully,
Canada’s news publishers
