WATCH: Alan Carter has the story on how fruit colour has become a partisan battle at Queen’s Park.
TORONTO – Ontario’s auditor general is stepping up her fight with the Liberals over government advertising, warning her office would be undermined by proposed changes to the regulations.
Auditor Bonnie Lysyk says the Liberals want to do away with almost all the rules that aim to prevent taxpayer-funded partisan advertising by a government.
READ MORE: Do the Feds need an advertising watchdog?
She says they want to replace her discretionary authority to reject government ads with “a narrow, new definition of what is partisan” that she fears could let all kinds of blatantly political messages be approved.
Lysyk says the changes open her office to “mockery” as an independent officer of the legislature that has to abide by a “precise list of government requirements for an ad” when she thinks those requirements are insufficient.
If the Liberal changes to the advertising act are approved, Lysyk wants to be relieved of her duty to review government ads before they can run.
Deputy premier Deb Matthews says the Liberals wanted to clarify the definition of partisanship in government ads, which she says will make the rules clearer.
- Alberta to overhaul municipal rules to include sweeping new powers, municipal political parties
- Norad looking to NATO to help detect threats over the Arctic, chief says
- Grocery code: How Ottawa has tried to get Loblaw, Walmart on board
- Canada, U.S., U.K. lay additional sanctions on Iran over attack on Israel
Comments