Dennis Mathu and Stephanie Gordon first started posting financial-advice videos on YouTube three years ago — a side hustle that helped to scratch a creative itch.
They never imagined it would lead them down some of the most powerful political corridors in Canada.
Mathu and Gordon — Steph & Den, as they’re known online — were among several content creators invited to Tuesday’s federal budget lockup, where they got early access to Ottawa’s new spending blueprint.
It’s an invitation typically reserved for experts, stakeholders and mainstream media. But the federal Liberals are embracing influencers as they seek to win back disillusioned millennials, gen-Z voters and others who consume information through social media.
“They are seeing we are building this audience and they want to tap into that,” said Gordon, 27.
Steph & Den has a target audience of 18- to 34-year-olds and 750,000 followers across multiple platforms. That includes TikTok, a popular video app that has been banned on federal government devices under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over privacy and cybersecurity concerns.
“They realize that a lot of young people do not watch the news anymore. They don’t consume traditional media,” said Reni Odetoyinbo, 27, who was invited to attend the last two federal budgets by the finance minister’s office.
“Especially for people my age. This is their main source of news.”
Neither the office of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland nor the Prime Minister’s Office were willing to answer questions about the strategy.
But they did say that influencers are not paid when invited to government events, which included housing announcements in Toronto in the weeks before the budget.
It’s about connecting with Canadians where they are, said Mohammad Hussain, a spokesman for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Canadians are consuming digital content more and more,” Hussain said in a statement. “As the media landscape grows, so does our approach to how we communicate.”
When the budget landed Tuesday, Danica Nelson, 33, documented the day on her Instagram account. She has 24,000 collective followers with a core audience between the ages of 25 to 45.
Nelson and the six other financial content creators reviewed the budget before it was tabled in the House of Commons.
They also met with several ministers, including Housing Minister Sean Fraser, Youth Minister Marci Ien and Freeland, where they were able to ask questions.
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“What I appreciated about this convo is that they really wanted to ensure we (as millennials and generation Z) saw ourselves in it, and if we didn’t they wanted to dig deeper,” Nelson posted on Instagram alongside behind-the-scenes videos and photos.
It was more political access than the mainstream media received that day.
As they spend the coming days going through the budget, the creators will develop content around it, focusing on topics of interest and answering questions from followers.
“It’s so easy in the online world to see headlines and high-level information but not actually know how it applies to you,” Gordon said.
“It almost creates some angst in people, because they’re like, ‘What is the actual information I need to know?’ That’s the piece that needs to be communicated more clearly to people.”
The Canadian government isn’t alone. For years the White House has been briefing influencers on topics such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has invited them to events like the state of the union address.
And when U.S. President Joe Biden visited Ottawa last year, YouTube helped connect First Lady Jill Biden and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau with The Sorry Girls for a sit-down interview about design. The resulting interview was uploaded to The Sorry Girls’ YouTube page, which has more than 2.2 million followers.
It’s common for the tech company to facilitate introductions between governments and content creators, YouTube said. Last year’s federal budget is an example of that, when Freeland’s office asked the company to connect them to Canadian content creators who focus on money.
That’s how Odetoyinbo got invited to last year’s budget, where she ultimately made about six videos breaking down the document to her 150,000 collective social media followers.
“I think it’s a really good effort on the government’s part to reach people in a language they understand,” she said.
And despite their followers admitting they don’t read or watch traditional news, the content creators say they still have a thirst for what’s happening — as long as it’s delivered via social media.
“Traditionally this is one of the things where people tend to tread lightly,” said Mathu, 28. “But I think it’s one of those things that are going to become more of a norm.”
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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