It was a charming offensive for politicians and American decision -makers for months.
Legislators landing at Washington International Airport Dulles have met with panels reminding them that Ontario is “an economic partner who helps employ millions of American workers”.
Politicians who struck the pages of the Washington Post have been informed that Ontario is a “secure economic partner in an unsure world”. The message was even exploded to the millions of Super Bowl viewers.
As Donald Trump was inaugurated and began his mandate as president, Ontario’s partnership message was everywhere.
But reaching a level of saturation is not cheap.
New invoices and documents, obtained by Global News using the laws on information, show that the Blitz advertising budget has been set by the Office of Ontario Doug Ford Prime Minister at $ 52 million.
Between mid-December and mid-February, the provincial government spent around $ 38 million from this money to buy an advertising space. The vast majority went to television advertisements, especially on Fox News.
When He unveiled the new strategy in November 2024The Minister of Economic Development, the Creation of Jobs and Trade Vic Fedeli said that he was aimed at highlighting the close relations of the United States with Ontario.
Fedeli wanted to push the story when Trump threatened massive prices and thought in Canada to become the 51st state.
“It is really important to remind them subtly: we are a trusted partner in your North, we have always been there for you and we will be there for you tomorrow,” he said.
In March, however, the United States included Canada on its list of countries faced at steel, aluminum and cars. David Paterson, the Ontario representative at Capitol Hill, conceded the charming offensive of great value had “been finished for a long time”.
Now, opponents of the Ford government are asking for what the province has done exactly by spending tens of millions of dollars radiating its message to the American legislators who may not have listened.
“The government should have examined: is this change changing?
The province said the campaign had made 1.9 billion impressions and reached more than 100 million people in the United States.
Advertising is published after US President Donald Trump
When Trump won the US elections on November 5, 2024, Ford and his team started at high speed, fearing that his threats of prices and annexation could have an overwhelming effect on the economy.
Get daily national news
Get the best news of the day, the titles of political, economic and current affairs, delivered in your reception box once a day.
At noon on November 6, the Prime Minister’s office asked to increase the budget planned for an “US partnership campaign” from $ 20 million to $ 52 million, according to emails and other documents seen by Global News.
The plan was to broadcast advertisements targeting the United States from January to March 2025. The strategy was then reworked and reworked to start.
A massive commercial purchase targeting Trump’s favorite television network, Fox News, was approved to start in December in programs with an estimated audience ranging from 6.5 to 8 million people.
The government has affected $ 17.6 million to buy an advertising space on four Fox News Prime Time. He also caught slots during American football matches. An supplement of $ 400,000 has been spent to set up posters promoting Ontario in transit shelters in Washington, DC and in airports in the United States.
In total, the province spent $ 18 million in December, according to the documents obtained by Global News.
These expenses continued in January and February, with another total of $ 19.8 million. The latter costs covered advertisements on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Search and the Wall Street Journal, among others, alongside another piece of television advertisements.
The Ford government has not confirmed the world news if the entire budget of $ 52 million for the campaign was spent.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Development, job creation and trade said that the campaign had made an impression.
“With the threat of prices, as part of a broader engagement plan, our government has launched an advertising campaign to reach the Americans on American networks, highlighting our longtime partnership and our value of energy, critical minerals and other resources on which many states are based,” they said in a statement sent to Global News.
“Our campaign has received more than 1.9 billion impressions and has reached more than 100 million Americans, including key decision -makers who can influence trade policies with Canada and who will regularly raise the advertising campaign with Ontario officials during meetings.”
Critics wonder what the campaign has achieved
More than six months after Trump’s elections and the launch of the Ontario campaign to earn American hearts and minds, some people wonder what the province has obtained for their money and why advertisements have run so long.
When prices – which remain in place – were announced in March, Ford withdrew the American alcohol from the LCBO shelves, said that it would cancel a contract with Starlink by Elon Musk and briefly threatened to cut electricity exports to the United States.
The latter threat was quickly withdrawn in exchange for a meeting with the US Secretary of Commerce Howard Luxe, but the prices have not been deleted. Critics believe that none of Ford’s actions – including the expensive commercial campaign – had no effect.
“What we see is to spend too much in advertising in the United States,” said Bonnie Crombie, the Liberal Chief of Ontario.
“And for what results, we must ask. Did he stop the prices?
Stiles said that the strategy was not necessarily wrong at first, but that it could have been interrupted, with the money channeled as a rescue for sectors such as steel and automotive manufacturing, which have seen layoffs induced by prices.
“The government seemed to continue to want to throw money in advertising campaigns, even at a time when Ontarians really have difficulties,” she said.
Ford opponents have complained about the use of advertising by his government in the past, highlighting the recent conclusions by the Auditor General.
In December, the auditor general discovered that the Ford government had spent more than any other advertising administration. The province paid a total of $ 103.5 million in a single year for advertisements.
The auditor general concluded that these advertisements were “designed to promote the ruling party” rather than sharing an important message with the public.