OTTAWA — Elections Canada documents say Canada Proud has spent more than $100,000 this campaign season boosting its online anti-Trudeau message, with financing coming from thousands of Canadians as well as several key big-ticket donors.
The third-party advertising group, which functions mostly as a popular Facebook page sharing memes and political content, is the federal outgrowth of a similar group focused on Ontario provincial politics.
Canada Proud’s expenses are almost exclusively for amplifying its content on Facebook and Instagram, though some money has also gone toward advertising in ethnic media.
The group received almost a quarter of a million dollars in donations from nearly 2,100 Canadians, though about $65,000 came from donors who gave $200 or less.
About 60 per cent of the funding the group has reported up to this point comes from three entities: a Calgary-based multi-industry company and its founder; and a national association of contractors.
The group’s founder says Canada Proud is a voice for the many Canadians who are tired of the Liberal government.