Find out about Government of Canada cost guides
Media outlets may apply for consideration in the Government of Canada print media cost guides. Find information about how to apply. Discover which suppliers are automatically eligible and find application requirements.
On this page
About the media cost guides
The Government of Canada media cost guides contain information about selected media including pre-negotiated rates for broadcast and newspapers. Our agency of record (AOR) maintains these guides.
Listing guarantees consideration but not placements
Note
Not all media in Canada are listed in our cost guides. Being listed is not a guarantee that a particular media outlet will be selected for our advertising.
Selecting the right medium
Government of Canada institutions work closely with our AOR to select media for advertising based on a number of factors including:
- campaign objectives
- target audience and markets
- times
- budgets
Role of the guides
Our cost guides are developed to assist in the selection process. They allow us to respond to national, provincial and regional advertising requirements.
Our guides include media information like:
- target markets
- language
- format
- frequency
- lead time
- pre-negotiated advertising rates
- contact information
Application criteria and requirements
Learn how media are automatically eligible for consideration in our cost guides and find requirements for publications that are not automatically eligible.
Automatically eligible media
Media that are automatically eligible for consideration in our cost guides include:
- radio and television broadcasters licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
- daily general interest newspapers with audited circulation by a recognized independent organization like:
- Vividata
- the Print Measurement Bureau
- the Audit Bureau of Circulations
- the Canadian Circulations Audit Board
- online media with appropriate editorial content of a nature and intent not to incite:
- racial hatred
- discrimination of any kind
- subversion of Canada’s democratic system of government
- speciality print publications dedicated to topics like:
- agriculture
- arts
- culture
- entertainment
- sports
- finance
- business
- careers
Enrolling automatically eligible media outlets
Contact our agency of record to confirm if your media outlet meets the automatic eligibility requirements for consideration in our cost guides.
Application requirements for print publications
Discover more about the application requirements for our newspaper media cost guides.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for our newspaper cost guides, publications that do not meet the automatic eligibility criteria must be:
- printed and published in Canada
- geared to the general public or target ethnic or Indigenous audiences
- distributed at national, regional, provincial or municipal level
- a general interest newspaper which:
- has a news oriented front page containing news related to the market that it serves
- has a clearly defined editorial page
- contains substantial news related to the market that it serves
- is distributed throughout the territory that it serves
- published in a regular, pre-determined basis for a period of at least 12 consecutive months
- published in a format consistent with industry practices including:
- page layout done electronically
- newspaper published in tabloid or broadsheet format
- pages are individually numbered
- minimum length of 8 pages
- date and title of the newspaper are visible on each page
Newspaper must also:
- contain no more than 70% advertising throughout and on the cover page
- contain editorial content of a nature and intent not to incite:
- racial hatred
- discrimination of any kind
- subversion of Canada's democratic system of government
Mandatory documents
When applying to our media guides you must include:
- evaluation questionnaire that is completed and signed by the publisher
- circulation sworn statement completed and signed by a commissioner for oaths, notary, lawyer or authorized person
- current advertising card, indicating if rates are gross or net
- complete copies of the last 3 consecutive issues of the newspaper
Additional requirements
Applicants must also provide:
- copies of their newspaper, upon request
- written notice of increases in advertising rates at least 90 days prior to the change taking effect
- written notice of other changes affecting the newspaper's application like new formats or a new date of publication
- a new circulation sworn statement for changes affecting a statement provided earlier
Get an application form
Contact our agency of record to receive an application form or to receive more information.
Agency of record
- aorgc.information@cossette.com
Incomplete applications
The agency of record will return applications with missing or incomplete information. A note will explain what information is missing. Publishers can resubmit their application for further consideration.