The report comes after the federal government confirmed Wednesday it was ending its advertising boycott of Meta’s social media sites
Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of Canadians would like the federal government to pledge its advertising dollars to support domestic news media outlets, a new poll found.
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“Now more than ever, Canadians want their tax dollars to support local media in their communities,” said Kevin Desjardins, the president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, in a statement to National Post.
“You’re essentially rewarding a company that isn’t prepared to pay publishers for news,” he told the Post.
“It’s made a meaningful difference already to publishers,” he said. “If you were to have the feds do the same thing and have other provinces and municipalities, it would be a massive thing.”
Deegan said the announcement came at an unusual time, as bilateral tensions with the United States have flared since President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada and then granted a 30-day reprieve on Monday.
“This is the wrong time for the government to soften its stand on advertising with Meta,” Desjardins wrote.
Supporting local Canadian news through government advertising has the added benefit of placing advertisements in forums Canadians trust significantly more than American social media networks, Deegan added.
Lisa Sygutek, the owner and publisher of Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass Herald, felt the federal government’s latest decision contradicted the evidence that Canadians trust domestic news outlets more than social media sites and would contribute to “a wildfire of misinformation, unchecked narratives, and a public left vulnerable to deception.”
“I call on the Government of Canada to correct this mistake,” Sygutek wrote the Post. “Support local journalism. Stop rewarding Meta’s reckless behaviour. Do what is right — before it’s too late.”
The online survey by Totum Research was conducted on behalf of News Media Canada between Dec. 9 and 22 and Jan.6 and 20, 2025. It involved 2,418 adult Canadians, and has a margin of error of plus or minus two per cent at the 95 per cent confidence level.
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