FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 5, 2023
MPP Adil Shamji is Calling on Doug Ford to Suspend Government of Ontario Online Advertising
TORONTO, ONT. – Dr. Adil Shamji, MPP for Don Valley East and Ontario Liberal Leadership contestant is calling on the Ford Government to suspend all advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Google, and other online platforms that are threatening to remove Canadian news links from their applications or websites.
"We recently learned that Meta and Google are threatening to remove essential news sources from their platforms. Today, the federal Government announced it would be suspending advertising on these platforms, and I'm calling on Doug Ford to follow suit," said Shamji.
"Ontarians rely on Canadian news to make decisions in their daily lives. Tech giants must not be allowed to use us as pawns in their games. Nothing is gained by threatening the public with the removal critical and timely content from these social media and online platforms,” said Shamji.
“The government of Ontario supporting Google and Meta with our hard-earned taxpayer dollars is like rewarding bad behaviour. Doug Ford should direct all Ontario Ministries and their agencies to suspend advertising directed at these platforms immediately. Instead, these ads should be placed in Ontario media outlets that are struggling to compete with these tech giants. Supporting local news and local news providers should be our priority," he added.
"Our campaign will not be giving, Meta or Google money through online advertising, and we call on our fellow Ontario Liberal Leadership campaigns to do the same," he concluded.
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