Canadian Liberals promise to set up partisan ad watchdog if elected
> Leader of Canada's main opposition Liberal Party Michael Ignatieff on Friday criticized the ruling Conservatives for the "flagrant misuse of taxpayers' money" on partisan government advertising, pledging to set up a government ad watchdog. The system will screen government ads for partisanship and ban the use of any politician's name, image or voice to "make absolutely sure that the government of Canada advertises for the government of Canada -- not for the party in power," Ignatieff said at a press conference on the Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Opposition parties have been criticizing the government following the news that the Conservative government is spending more than four times more on promoting its January budget than it is on public service messages for the A/H1N1 flu. Critics have complained that the Economic Action Plan campaign, and in particular an accompanying government website, are infused with partisan Conservative messaging, which are aimed to promote the government's actions in dealing with the economic downturn. The opposition parties have been reprimanding the government for poor management of the economy during the financial crisis. An official from the Prime Minister's Office, Andrew MacDougall, defended the government actions Friday, saying the Liberal plan is "premised on the fact that there's something wrong with what we're doing" -- a premise the government emphatically rejects. "There are guidelines in place. We've certainly respected all of them," he said. The Liberal announcement comes before a planned non-confidence motion the party plans to table against the government in the Parliament early next month, which could see the Conservatives step down if it passes.Source:Xinhua
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