More Public Money on False Ads

As the Conservative Regime move forward with their new branding efforts in an attempt to persuade the public that they are the greatest thing since the 1936 regime in Germany we learn that “the Conservative government has booked $13.5 million for an all-out blitz in April and May to advertise its 2015 pre-election budget.”

Now I have no real problem the the Conservative Party of Canada promoting their proposals on TV and radio any more than I do with any other political party doing so but that is NOT what is happening. These Ads are being issued from Government departments using public money.

“The Canada Revenue Agency is spending $6 million on a concentrated TV bulk buy this month that includes pricey NHL playoff spots in what internal government documents describe as a continuation of an existing campaign that's been running all winter.
The tax agency's $6 million in TV advertising is augmented by a $7.5 million campaign by the Finance department, all designed to promote previously announced and new targeted tax breaks.”

It must be noted that any items contained in the budget, and indeed other Con proposals are just that, proposals, and have NOT passed in the House and became law and thus any advertising promoting these items is CLEARLY partisan advertising and payment of same from public funds is illegal. The blatant use of public moneys for self promotion is nothing new from this regime but it now reaches a level that once again show clear contempt for any parliamentary rules that exist.

The watchdog group Democracy Watch has launched a letter-writing campaign to get the federal auditor general to examine government advertising, they say “The Harper Conservative government has spent an estimated $750 million of the public’s money on advertising since 2006.”
“Some of the ads have made clearly false claims, others (like the TV ads currently running during NHL playoff hockey games) have been about proposed government programs that don’t exist, and others have essentially been ads for the Conservative Party.”
They are calling for an audit by the federal Auditor General that will determine just how much of your money the Conservatives have wasted on these ads, this just as Ontario who have protections in place to prevent such abuse seeks to reduce such safeguards. Given the way in which the Cons have previously ignored reports and conclusions from the Auditor General I am unconvinced that even if such an audit did take place that the Cons would cease this undemocratic practice or refund the public money, it would however perhaps make more folks aware of how crooked this regime is!

The public advertising is just the tip of the iceberg that will come crashing into your area this summer, the PM and all those Con Ministers will be travelling the country (on you dime) flogging both the proposed budget and all the goodies promised, but may never happen, for some distant year in the future. And, it would seem providing 'photo opportunities' in Iraq and other foreign locations to highlight Canada’s rhetoric spinning leader and his oligarchical regime.


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