The Department of Finance and Google Ads

Many odd-balls and cranks inhabit the internet: that is no surprise. The oddest and crankiest add radio their repetoire. Exhibit A, Craig Chandler of Freedom Radio Network. Exhibit B, Doug Aldridge of www.therightside.ca. Doug, as he tells us, spent 26 years in various radio jobs until becoming the Reform candidate in Leeds-Grenville in 1997.


Aldridge now has an internet radio show, where you'll find a collection of the usual suspects: recent interviewees include Gerry Nicholls (formerly of the Taxpayers Federation), Pierre Bourque (Nascar Driver and would-be Drudge), and "the true story of how the Dominion Day tradition was hi-jacked by 13 sneaky Liberals". Interesting! (Or perhaps not.)

Also interesting is the ads on the side. Adwords, in case you didn't know it, are how Google makes much of its money. Advertisers buy an ad, and then pay Google for every internet surfer who clicks on the link and goes to the site. Google uses complex algorithm to place ads where they are most likely to be clicked, and then pays the site-owner (blogger, etc.) on a per click basis.

The top on of these ads leads to a webpage at the Dept. of Finance touting a presentation of Flaherty on Income Trusts under the heading of Tax Fairness Plan. Click through (thus earning both Google and Mr. Aldridge a few cents and you find yourself at Minister Flaherty’s presentation on Income Trusts to the Finance Committee – January 30, 2007

But why is the Department of Finance paying to advertise this page and on a pay-per-click basis?