A billionaire, a right-wing activist and a fundraising consultant who loves the CBC — meet the people trying to sway your vote

Third-party advertisers are spending millions to influence voters

25 Apr 2025 • 6 min read

Copied to clipboard!

Two groups campaigning to support the CBC are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on third-party ads during the federal election. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press)

Zak Vescera

Zak is a Vancouver-based reporter focusing on white-collar crime in British Columbia. He previously reported for The Tyee and The Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

Dig Deeper

Our databases turn public records into public power. Dig in to find the real story on lobbying, donations, contracts, access to information releases and more.

Minister of Finance François-Philippe Champagne rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 1.

Politics

Canada's political parties want to be exempt from provincial privacy laws

Advocates warn a measure in the Liberal affordability bill could encourage microtargeting of voters, with little oversight

Carly Penrose•26 Jan 2026

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney smiles on stage at his campaign headquarters after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Politics

Highest-spending candidates won their local races 70% of the time

And more insights from candidate expense reports from April’s federal election

Carly Penrose•21 Jan 2026

A billionaire, a right-wing activist and a fundraising consultant who loves the CBC — meet the people trying to sway your vote

Dig Deeper

Related Articles

Canada's political parties want to be exempt from provincial privacy laws

Highest-spending candidates won their local races 70% of the time

More on Politics

Whistleblowing reports skyrocket, and so do reprisals

Sharing ‘a piece of the cake:’ Quebec bans four healthcare staffing companies from provincial contracts until 2030 for alleged integrity lapses

'Democracy is a fraud': Prolife Alberta party head identified as traditionalist Catholic writer, podcaster

Where’s the transparency? A year of unfulfilled promises on freedom of information

A billionaire, a right-wing activist and a fundraising consultant who loves the CBC — meet the people trying to sway your vote

Democracy needs you.

Dig Deeper

Related Articles

Canada's political parties want to be exempt from provincial privacy laws

Highest-spending candidates won their local races 70% of the time

More on Politics

Whistleblowing reports skyrocket, and so do reprisals

Sharing ‘a piece of the cake:’ Quebec bans four healthcare staffing companies from provincial contracts until 2030 for alleged integrity lapses

'Democracy is a fraud': Prolife Alberta party head identified as traditionalist Catholic writer, podcaster

Where’s the transparency? A year of unfulfilled promises on freedom of information