For the year 2021, it has been determined that the federal government spent more than $600 thousand on social media influencers to “promote federal iniciatives,” chiefly the push for Canadians to get vaccinated.
For the year 2021, it has been determined that the federal government spent more than $600 thousand on social media influencers to "promote federal initiatives," chiefly the push for Canadians to get vaccinated.
The strategy of using influencers to get government messages across is quite new, but it is becoming more and more popular with governments who feel, rightly or otherwise, that they are not trusted in Canada, and the world over.
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View on RumbleAccording to CTV News Canada, "analysis of documents recently tabled in the House of Commons, more than a dozen federal departments and agencies employed influencers to help get their messages out in the last year."
CTV News goes on to report that, between Jan 1 2021 and Jan 31 2022, Health Canada was the government entity most generous with online influencers in their publicity campaigns. They alone shelled out some $130,600 in cash to various people in that time period.
"The influencer campaign complemented the Government of Canada’s overall strategy to help everyone in Canada make an informed decision about COVID-19 vaccines," commented a spokesperson from the entity.
As an example, one such influencer, Sukhman Gill, posted to his over 20 thousand followers that "I learnt a bunch of things that made me feel much better, and answered a lot of my questions," after purportedly making a "visit" to "the Government of Canada website."
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