PCs will restore Auditor General’s veto of partisan government ads

Patrick Brown, Ontario PC Leader, would allow the Auditor General to block partisan government advertising

LIMOGES, ON – Patrick Brown, Ontario PC Leader, today slammed the Wynne Liberals for using taxpayer dollars in order to promote the Ontario Liberal Party’s re-election bid. Brown committed to restore the Auditor General’s ability to block partisan government ads to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

“The next election will be about who will make it easier for families to make ends meet and get ahead,” stated Brown. “Ontario families shouldn’t have to foot the bill for Kathleen Wynne’s vanity ads. The PCs will restore the Auditor General’s oversight so that hard-earned taxpayer dollars are not wasted.”

In 2015, the Wynne Liberals made amendments to the Government Advertising Act, 2004 that eliminated the Auditor General’s power to block partisan government ads. The Auditor General has warned that these changes have weakened her office to nothing but a “rubber stamp” for partisan government ads.

As a result, Ontario families have footed the bill for millions of dollars in partisan government ads that the Auditor General has said she would not have approved under the old rules. This fiscal year, the Wynne Liberals are more than doubling the amount of money spent on government advertising – spending $57 million, an increase of $32 million from last year.

“Under the Wynne Liberals, hardworking Ontario families pay more and get less,” Brown concluded. “I want to ensure taxpayer money goes towards the things we value most like health care, education, and services for those in need. An Ontario PC government will stop wasting money, spend wisely, and put Ontario families first.”