ICA Welcomes Carney Budget Measures

On the back of its ‘Brands Need More Canada’ manifesto and ‘Tell Them!’ campaigns, the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) welcomed the positive passage of Mark Carney’s first budget and its inclusion of the advertising industry.

Budget 2025 details a $345m investment in the Canadian Advertising Fund: “Funding Advertising for Communicating to Canadians Funding for the Privy Council Office to increase the annual limit of the Central Advertising Fund, supporting the effective communication of government policy. This measure benefits all Canadians by ensuring they receive clear and timely information about their rights and responsibilities, the programs and services that affect them, and any potential risks to health, safety, and the environment, enabling informed decisions and easier access to support.” It goes on to say that “This measure will also indirectly benefit the advertising industry in Canada. According to Statistics Canada data on occupation unit groups by gender, advertising, marketing and public relations managers and professionals have higher proportions of women than men.”

“It is good to see that after a two-year push with our ‘Brands Need More Canada’ and the ‘Tell Them!’ campaigns involving many meetings in Ottawa that the federal government is listening to the ICA’s narrative on the value of Canadian agencies and their people,” said Scott Knox, ICA president and CEO. “For the first time, certainly in living memory, the ICA has put the industry on the national economic agenda.”

The ICA is calling on the Government of Canada to continue to support the industry, as governments do in other G7 nations, expanding its support to a renewed global creative export strategy to bring business into the country, and create agency specific skills development funding streams.

“This is a great start to our journey with government, and we will continue to strive for better understanding of the value of our industry to the Canadian economy.” added Scott.