By John Clore | Investigative Journalist | 4/2/2025 at 9:11 AM
Canadian Government Buys Anti-Tariff Ads in U.S. Media and Billboards — Is This Foreign Propaganda on American Soil?
EDIT – 4/4/2025 Since writing this article, The Detroit News seems to have removed the ad from their website. #Winning
DETROIT, MI — Visitors to The Detroit News website this week were met with a striking full-screen advertisement reading: “Tariffs Are a Tax on Your Grocery Bill.” The stark black-and-white ad, styled like a warning label, wasn’t created by an American trade association or consumer advocacy group — it was paid for by the Government of Canada.
The ad is part of a broader campaign in which Canada is inserting itself into American policy debates. Similar billboard messaging has appeared across the U.S., reportedly as part of an organized effort by the Canadian government to influence American views on trade. According to CBS News, these billboard ads are being deployed to sway public opinion on tariffs and to apply pressure on U.S. policymakers through the court of public opinion.
The messaging — centered around how tariffs hurt working-class Americans by raising grocery bills — comes off as deeply ironic to many observers, especially considering that Ontario’s new Premier recently threatened to “turn off the power” to the United States in response to policy disputes. Those comments were perceived by many as economic blackmail, yet now Canada is painting itself as a sympathetic ally of America’s working poor.
-
DOGE Travel mug with a handle
$25.00 Add to cart -
Unique D.O.G.E. Ceramic Mug – 11oz & 15oz
$7.68 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Foreign Propaganda in Plain Sight
These ads represent a new kind of foreign soft-power play — one that is not only legal, but entirely out in the open.
“This isn’t about trade awareness — it’s about foreign governments using American media to inject their agenda into our political bloodstream,” said one Michigan political analyst. “You can’t threaten to cut off power to our country one day and act like the champion of working families the next.”
While the ads are technically legal under U.S. law, they raise ethical and strategic concerns, particularly as the U.S. enters another heated election cycle.
Is It Legal? Unfortunately, Yes.
Current laws do not prohibit foreign governments from purchasing ad space in U.S. media so long as:
The ad does not support or oppose a specific candidate.
The sponsor is clearly identified.
The ad in The Detroit News follows these guidelines, but still enters murky territory by attempting to sway public opinion on active U.S. economic policy — a tactic more commonly associated with foreign influence operations.
Unlike campaign contributions, which are tightly regulated, foreign-funded issue ads face few restrictions, leaving the door open for governments like Canada’s to influence U.S. voters on everything from trade to energy and environmental policy.
A Propaganda War on American Voters
This is a coordinated influence campaign by a foreign power.
“This is the new information battlefield,” said a communications strategist focused on international influence campaigns. “Governments don’t need spies when they can buy ad space on U.S. websites and highways to shape what Americans think.”
With Canadian messaging now targeting American tariffs and inflation concerns — after threatening energy cutoffs just months ago — many are questioning Canada’s true motives, and why U.S. media outlets like The Detroit News are allowing this kind of foreign messaging to take root.
The situation also raises questions about media ownership and policy. The Detroit News is owned by MediaNews Group, a subsidiary of Digital First Media, which is controlled by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund with a history of aggressive cost-cutting and controversial political affiliations. This ownership structure has led to accusations that the outlet prioritizes profit over public interest — even if that means running propaganda from foreign governments.
The Bigger Picture
As foreign actors continue to exploit America’s unregulated issue advertising landscape, pressure is mounting on lawmakers to address foreign-funded messaging campaigns that influence public sentiment under the radar.
If these ads are any indication, the line between global diplomacy and domestic manipulation is becoming dangerously blurred.
DOGE on Michigan Wasteful Spending: LGBTQ, DEI, and Transgender Study Funds Could Fix the Roads Instead!
by: John Clore | 3/20/2025 at 9:11 AM LANSING, MI – After writing Shocking Waste: Federal Audit Uncovers Billions Wasted on Foreign Social Programs And seeing countless people on social media say, “We need DOGE in Michigan,” I decided to DOGE Michigan’s wasteful spending—here’s what I uncovered. Michigan’s state government
Sponsor
The Quiet Collapse: Why Humanity May Stop Having Children by 2075
Engineered Extinction? The Global Push to End Reproduction Through Culture, Chemicals, and Control Over the past several decades, the world has witnessed a troubling trend—a steady and accelerating decline in childbirth rates. While many governments and media outlets frame this as a byproduct of modernity or personal choice, the reality
Sponsor
