Manitoba government found guilty of violating election advertising ban

Manitoba’s commissioner of elections has ruled the government violated a ban on advertising during election periods when it invited reporters to an event with Premier Heather Stefanson.

Commissioner Bill Bowles adds, however, that he does not believe the breach was intentional and it was extremely unlikely to have had any substantive effect on the outcome of the vote.

The controversy stems from an announcement by WestJet in March of last year that it was increasing service to Winnipeg.

Stefanson was part of the announcement, and her press secretary had reached out to some media outlets in advance to advise them of the event.

At the time, a byelection campaign was underway in the Fort Whyte constituency in Winnipeg, a longtime Tory seat that the party narrowly won again.

Bowles said the press secretary’s actions were a violation of a restriction on government promotion and advertising during election periods, because the premier’s office was using government, not party, resources.