15°c Clear
28°c Isolated showers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Tories doing great job on economy: ads say so
Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press archives Ad budgets geared to promoting economic success have ballooned since 2008. (CP)
OTTAWA -- When Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the economy is his top priority, he has the advertising spending to support his claim.
An examination by The Canadian Press reveals ad budgets geared to promoting economic success have ballooned under the Conservatives since the 2008 global downturn.
The latest blitz of "economic action plan" ads, which blanketed the airwaves on Super Bowl Sunday, comes from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada -- one of the big advertising budget winners under the Harper government.
Average annual ad spending by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, or HRSDC, was up 72 per cent in the four years following the 2008 recession, compared to the five years that preceded it.
Spending by the Finance Department was up 58 per cent, while advertising by the Canada Revenue Agency almost tripled.
The numbers come from departmental breakdowns of annual advertising expenditures from 2002-03 through 2011-12, which were released last week in response to questions from Mathieu Ravignat, the NDP Treasury Board critic.
Government ad buys are "acceptable in the context of a change to a program or service, but that's clearly not what's going on," Ravignat said in an interview.
He called the increased ad spending "inappropriate" and "not very respectful to taxpayers' money."
Whether the ads promote new government programs or services is debatable.
The ads have ranged from ongoing skills training to the promotion of old tax breaks that predate the recession.
The common theme is economic prosperity.
"For you, for me, for all of us, the economy is still job one," Prime Minister Stephen Harper told MPs and senators last week as the TV cameras rolled at the first Conservative caucus of the winter sitting of Parliament.
His spokesman, Andrew MacDougall, said the advertising is "meant to inform Canadians of the opportunities available to them and to make sure that they have the information they need to take advantage of government programs."
"This advertising has tended to focus on the economy in recent years owing to the impacts of the global recession, but has also included efforts on issues like health (Healthy Canadians, H1N1), veterans and services to newcomers to Canada," MacDougall added in an email.
Health Canada and National Defence have consistently been among the government's top advertisers over the years, and their average annual spending on either side of the 2008 recession has remained little changed.
Veterans Affairs ramped up ad spending from virtually nil to $2.5 million in 2009-10, a total it then surpassed in each of the next two years.
While critics such as Ravignat have long complained about partisan advantage in the government's "economic action plan" campaign, a new poll doesn't necessarily indicate much partisan gain.
The Harris-Decima telephone survey of just over 1,000 respondents found seven per cent said the government was doing an excellent job on the economy; another 30 per cent said the government was doing a good job.
The majority of respondents were less impressed, with 43 per cent saying the government "is doing only a fair job on the economy," and 17 per cent saying it's doing a poor job, Harris-Decima said.
All the feel-good economic advertising "probably makes people feel a little taken for granted," Ravignat said.
"Because truly, Canadians know what their economic situation is, they've being hit hard at various levels. And to be told that things are going well in the present climate, it's just not true."
The ad-spending data do not include the current fiscal year, 2012-13, for which Treasury Board last spring approved $16 million in "economic action plan" advertising.
There was also another $5 million for a "better jobs" campaign by HRSDC, $8 million for the promotion of cuts to old age security and $5 million for Natural Resources Canada to promote "responsible resource development."
Natural Resources Canada also spent more than $5 million on advertising in 2011-12, following years of very modest ad budgets.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 5, 2013 B3
More Business
- Back to Top
- Return to Business
More Business
(1 of 20 articles for today)
Oil filter issue prompts United Airlines 787 flying from Denver to Tokyo to divert to Seattle
4:44 AM 0SEATTLE - A Boeing 787 flying from Denver to Tokyo diverted to Seattle because of an oil filter issue, a ...
Poll
Most Popular Business
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Shark Club opens in citiplace
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- Magellan signs MOU to produce F-35 tails
- Carriers turned off by Canada's wireless law
- Local business incubator gets new name
- Mountain Equipment Co-op unveils new logo, name to appeal to urban customers
- NY, Va. 7-Eleven stores raided as US accuses owners and managers of exploiting immigrants
- U.S. hedge fund increases its ownership stake in Tim Hortons to 5.5%
- St. Vital Centre's energy savings help managers snag BOMA awards
- Sobeys expanding reach in Western Canada with Safeway acquisition
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Shark Club opens in citiplace
- Aircraft maintenance engineer taking off
- Two CBC reporters freed after being detained in Turkey
- St. Vital Centre's energy savings help managers snag BOMA awards
- Toronto condo market poses economic risk to Canada
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- New owner for lumber stores
- Fund helps entrepreneurs fly
- New owner for lumber stores
- Earls Pembina says goodbye after 18 years
- Sobeys expanding reach in Western Canada with Safeway acquisition
- Grove Pub to take over former home of Papa George's
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Where is easy street? Survey of city's richest routes may surprise
- Custom-made suits no longer just for the ultra-wealthy
- Eateries brace for Blue blitz
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- Warren Buffett -- Winnipeg-style
- Knights riding in with cash to spend
- Transcona transformation
- Target exceeds sales goal at Canadian stores
- The $2-million question
- Accounting merger adds and subtracts
- Bombardier wins German locomotive rail order potentially worth US$2 billion
- Magellan signs MOU to produce F-35 tails
- Sobeys expanding reach in Western Canada with Safeway acquisition
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Toronto condo market poses economic risk to Canada
- Cutting edge, made-in-Manitoba tech finds buyer -- in Manitoba
- Google unveils Internet beaming balloons launched into stratosphere
- Warren Buffett -- Winnipeg-style
- Fund helps entrepreneurs fly
- Accounting merger adds and subtracts
- St. Vital Centre's energy savings help managers snag BOMA awards
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- New owner for lumber stores
- Snowbirds: It's that time of year again
- Sobeys expanding reach in Western Canada with Safeway acquisition
- Custom-made suits no longer just for the ultra-wealthy
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- Where is easy street? Survey of city's richest routes may surprise
- Value Partners cracks $1-B mark in assets
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Manitoba Movers
- Grove Pub to take over former home of Papa George's
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.