Liberals blew $2.5 million on 'Choose Canada' ads, including during the election
The digital campaign's messaging echoed Carney's anti-American 'Elbows Up' slogan repeated during his run for prime minister.
Carney's government spent more than $2.5 million on a taxpayer-funded “Choose Canada” advertising blitz that ran straight through the 2025 federal election, according to a newly released Order Paper response.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Rachel Bendayan confirmed the details in response to Conservative MP Rachael Thomas. The Clerk of the Privy Council approved the campaign on March 17, 2025, just days before the election call on March 23.
Duplicitous by design: Carney used gov't polling to script anti-American election plan
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 8, 2025
Mark Carney’s entire election pitch was fake from the start.
For a campaign that promised to “Stand Up for Canada,” the Liberals sure dropped those elbows fast, didn’t they?
Let’s rewind.… pic.twitter.com/25TJaxGaID
The campaign included digital ads across connected TV, video, audio, Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit and Meta, with most placements going live between March 21 and March 26. No steps were taken to suspend the campaign after Parliament dissolved. Instead, Bendayan said, the Clerk used his authority as deputy head of the Privy Council Office to approve its continuation during the election period.
The first phase of the campaign wrapped up March 31, but by then the government had already spent $2.517 million in production, media buys and agency fees.
The Choose Canada messaging directly echoed the anti-American "Elbows Up" slogan of the successful Carney campaign for the prime minister's office.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-09-16 21:44:57 -0400The eastern Canada “elbows up” civil service retirees will guarantee that the hog trough will always be overflowing. They’ll only wake up when that changes and the chances of that happening are infinitely small. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-09-16 21:03:12 -0400Liberals love wasting our money on optics and stunts. Let’s hope eastern Canada wakes up to how crooked Carney is.
