Ottawa Invested Nearly $10 Million in Social Media Advertising for COVID-19 Vaccines
The Canadian government has allocated $9.9 million for social media advertising campaigns promoting COVID-19 vaccines since 2020.
Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) have split this budget with $4.6 million for production costs and $5.3 million for advertising across 12 campaigns. These campaigns were circulated on platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, and Pinterest from 2020 to 2024, as disclosed in response to an Inquiry of Ministry from Conservative MP Ted Falk on April 8.
Additional campaigns focused on encouraging vaccination among various groups like infants ($564,000), young adults ($407,000), and Canadians aged 50 to 70 ($109,000). The total expenditures on campaigns stood at $851,000 in 2020, $7.3 million in 2021, $1.6 million in 2022, and $75,000 in 2023.
PHAC’s Efforts Against Misinformation
According to the 2021-22 Departmental Results Report from PHAC, the agency saw a record number of campaigns that year, totaling 13. These focused on various COVID-19-related public health issues and utilized multiple communication tools, including website content and targeted social media posts.
The report highlighted PHAC’s efforts to combat misinformation and promote COVID-19 vaccination, noting that by November 2022, more than 82 percent of Canadians had completed their primary vaccination series.
The report praised PHAC’s dedication and leadership in instilling vaccine confidence and addressing access barriers through campaigns and communications with Canadians.
