Government spent $45 million on COVID-19 vaccine ads, including $132,000 on social media influencers
The $45 million advertising push represents one of the largest public health campaigns in recent history.
The Liberal government has confirmed that it spent over $45 million on advertising campaigns promoting COVID-19 vaccines, including $132,000 on social media influencers, according to an order paper response tabled in the House of Commons.
The response was provided by Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, in reply to a question from Conservative MP Lianne Rood. Naqvi detailed the breakdown of expenditures:
- $45,477,174.55 was spent on vaccine-related advertisements encouraging Canadians to get vaccinated. This figure includes costs for media placement and associated fees but excludes planning and production expenses.
- $132,168 was allocated to a social media influencer campaign in 2021-22 aimed at helping Canadians make "informed decisions" about COVID-19 vaccines. This amount covered planning, outreach, content creation, and payments to influencers.
- The government did not allocate funds specifically to publicists.
- Vaccine safety messaging was integrated into the broader advertising campaigns, meaning no separate cost for safety-focused ads was provided.
Trudeau's Government says it spent $45 million on COVID-19 vaccine ads and $132,000 on social media influencers promoting vaccine pic.twitter.com/p0dAhVSd4N
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) December 5, 2024
The $45 million advertising push represents one of the largest public health campaigns in recent history. The response did not provide a breakdown of what agencies and influencers were on the receiving end of the massive spend.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
https://mybook.to/sheila
COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2024-12-05 18:45:09 -0500Imagine what could have been done with that money to improve the lives of elderly and disabled people. Imagine how that squandered money could have helped build a few hospitals or equip rural hospitals with diagnostic equipment such as MRI machines. But the government loves propagandizing us with our own tax dollars.
