(Quebec) While asking Québec solidaire and the Quebec Liberal Party to stop buying advertising on Facebook, François Legault is considering starting to do so again. The behavior of his adversaries results in an “unfair” situation in Jean-Talon, according to the Prime Minister.
“I ask the Liberal Party and Québec Solidaire to stop using META-Facebook. Otherwise, we will also have to ask ourselves the question if we use it because it is really unfair to reach the voters in Jean-Talon,” said the Prime Minister on his way to the question period. . It’s the start of the parliamentary term on Tuesday at the National Assembly.
Since the giant Meta prevents Canadian media from sharing their content on Facebook and Instagram platforms, the Quebec government has suspended all advertising purchases on these social networks as a sign of solidarity with media companies. The boycott movement has spread to major cities in Quebec and to the federal government.
“We know that our media are suffering because of Facebook and Meta. I think it’s important that all parties boycott advertising on Facebook, on Meta. Now, we have a by-election on October 2 (in Jean-Talon). Facebook-Meta is a powerful tool for reaching voters on certain streets in a county,” explained Mr. Legault briefly.
It doesn’t make sense that there are two parties: the Liberal Party and Québec Solidaire, which use Facebook and Meta, then that there are two others: the Parti Québécois and the (Coalition Avenir Québec) which don’t use it.
François Legault, Premier of Quebec
The Prime Minister called on his opponents to maintain the boycott of the web giant. At the same time, he let it be known that his party would change its strategy if the liberals and solidarity continue to buy advertising to target Jean-Talon voters.
An unnecessary symbolic gesture, according to QS
Not financing web giants like Facebook is a symbolic gesture with no effect, according to Québec solidaire. The party had to defend itself on Tuesday for having spent on advertising on Meta platforms, after having nevertheless suggested in July that it was not going to encourage Facebook until further notice.
According to parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, in the context of the by-election in Jean-Talon, these platforms are essential for contacting voters and symbolic gestures do not provide a solution.
“We will continue to place advertising (in Facebook), he said at a press briefing. I think that all of this demonstrates that symbolic gestures will not solve our problem. »
This is how he was able to answer “no” to the question whether boycotts are useless, but at the same time affirm that they have their “limits” and do not provide a solution in this case.
The QS spokesperson also refuses to be given lessons by the Minister of Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, who sharply condemned the reversal of QS on Monday, as did the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM).
“There are interests that are greater than your party interest,” said the president of the CCMM, Michel Leblanc, in an interview with Quebecor.
“I tell you that finger pointing and symbolic manifestations have a big, big limit and that will not solve our problem,” insisted Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
The Liberal Party of Quebec also affirmed that it was not going to end its advertising campaigns on Facebook until the complementary vote on October 2.
Interim leader Marc Tanguay argued that 88% of Quebecers are on Facebook and that it is important to be able to connect with these voters.
The PQ maintains the boycott
The Parti Québécois (PQ), which continues its boycott of Meta, doubts the sense of ethics of QS and denounces its lack of solidarity.
“Our media are dying for lack of income, it is the pillar of democracy, then you have political parties which, to make a small gain of 1% or 2% in a partial election, are ready to abandon all their principles and then to abandon our Quebec media for the benefit of a multinational,” condemned PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, in a press scrum.
“I am talking particularly about Québec solidaire, in solidarity with the GAFAM multinationals. This is indefensible in my eyes. We must remain united and ensure that our Quebec media are viable in the face of unscrupulous giants. »
The PQ was also going to table a motion in the National Assembly in the afternoon to propose to elected officials to be “in solidarity with our national and regional media which have seen their advertising revenues be diverted for the benefit of Meta platforms”.
The motion asks parties not to buy advertisements or sponsor publications on Meta from now on, and not to use these platforms this Friday – a day of boycott organized by the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec (FPJQ) and the Société québécoise des public relations professionals. The PLQ and QS did not support the motion.
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