Liberal government turning to influencers to appeal to Canadian youth

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