I am sure many people have been annoyed, irritated and angered as I have by the B.C. Liberal government’s expensive pre-election advertising campaign, paid for by the long suffering B.C. taxpayers.
The campaign, apparently costing $15 million dollars, is so blatantly partisan it is almost laughable. The content of the advertising message is so inaccurate, deceitful, misleading and untruthful it should make even our photo-op-loving premier blush with embarrassment.
I was so happy to read in a recent Globe and Mail article that the advertising campaign appears to be another failure for Christy Clark and her crew. The Globe published the results of an Angus Reid poll conducted in January.
The poll asked 806 randomly-selected B.C. voters to listen to the “B.C. is strong and stable” dominoes ad and choose one of 10 words which best described their reaction to the government’s message.
Angus Reid reported that the three greatest responses were all overwhelmingly negative, the words chosen were useless, deceiving and untrue.
The Globe and Mail article also pointed out that the difference between B.C. and Ontario. Ontario has the Government Advertising Act which gives the Ontario auditor general the power to decide what constitutes unfair partisan advertising.
Sadly, B.C. does not have this legislation and the result is we continue to be bombarded by this political government “pat on the back” garbage for which all B.C. taxpayers are paying.
I am happy to read of a promise made by NDP leader Adrian Dix that if elected, the NDP will enact a similar law to Ontario’s.
Tony Bloxham
Qualicum Beach