Her kids are not reading the newspapers on her kitchen counter. Instead, they91裸聊视频檙e looking at their phones to find information.
That91裸聊视频檚 the example that Treasury Board President Anita Anand brings up when she91裸聊视频檚 asked about the federal government91裸聊视频檚 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.
It91裸聊视频檚 just a fraction of what the government otherwise spends on traditional advertising.
91裸聊视频淲e need to evolve with the times,91裸聊视频� Anand, who holds the government91裸聊视频檚 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.
91裸聊视频淲e are now in an era where people debate what is true,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淎nd 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.91裸聊视频�
Health Minister Mark Holland echoed the comments and invoked fears over foreign interference, saying governments such as Russia91裸聊视频檚 are using modern technologies to destabilize democracies by questioning 91裸聊视频渨hat is and isn91裸聊视频檛 true.91裸聊视频�
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.
91裸聊视频淚f we91裸聊视频檙e not using alternative methods of communicating, then we91裸聊视频檙e going to be failing to connect people to those services and they91裸聊视频檙e rightfully going to be upset that they didn91裸聊视频檛 get the opportunity to avail themselves,91裸聊视频� Holland said.
As the government turns to influencers for marketing, that doesn91裸聊视频檛 mean it91裸聊视频檚 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 Canada91裸聊视频檚 marketing and advertising campaigns over the same time period.
The paid influencers are on a variety of platforms, including Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
They91裸聊视频檙e 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.
91裸聊视频淲e know that influencers are able to reach different sectors of the Canadian population through different media platforms,91裸聊视频� Anand said.
91裸聊视频淭hat doesn91裸聊视频檛 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.91裸聊视频�
Other departments have also used unpaid influencers to help promote the government91裸聊视频檚 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 year91裸聊视频檚 federal budget. Last year, similar outreach took place, with YouTube itself playing a part in facilitating the connections.
91裸聊视频淎 lot of Canadians get their information from other sources,91裸聊视频� Freeland said alongside her cabinet colleagues.
91裸聊视频淎nd it91裸聊视频檚 our responsibility to be sure that we are meeting Canadians where they are.91裸聊视频�
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