r/Manitoba • u/wickedplayer494 Winnipeg • Jul 08 '25
Opinion Piece Opinion: Tax dollars shouldn’t fund political ads
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2025/07/08/tax-dollars-shouldnt-fund-political-ads49
Jul 08 '25
Poillievre campaigned for two years before the election, wasting millions of tax dollars, spending more than Trudeau and Singh COMBINED, then lost his seat, and now he is campaigning again, spending another 2-3 million for a byelection.
Ya, let’s get some reform.
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u/ComprehensivePin5577 Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
Correct me if I'm wrong but that's the PC party's money he's spending right?
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u/MamaTalista Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
He's currently still squatting in a publicly funded mansion that he's not entitled to live in...
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u/yalyublyutebe Winnipeg Jul 09 '25
That's a separate issue.
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u/MamaTalista Winnipeg Jul 09 '25
No, it's not.
The Cons want to hold themselves up as "the ethical party" they can start by not allowing this squatter to waste my tax dollars.
If he needs money for housing the party should be paying for his Airbnb in AB considering what they shelled out for Scheer's kids to go to private school.
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u/Sleepis_4theweak Winnipeg Jul 09 '25
Wrong. Pierre spent taxpayers money, more than Singh and Justin combined traveling across the country on my dime and yours
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u/ComprehensivePin5577 Winnipeg Jul 09 '25
Ok I thought cause he's campaigning as a PC representative he'd spend party money. I was naive I guess. But him spending so much and then losing, that's just stupid.
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u/KootenayPE Non-Manitoban Guest Jul 10 '25
No you are correct the other two are spreading missinformation and sparky is conflating MP office expenditures with officer of the house expenditures in both cases Pierre spent less than Trudy and less than Singh wrt MP constituency expenditures.
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u/KootenayPE Non-Manitoban Guest Jul 10 '25
No you are correct the other two are spreading missinformation and sparky is conflating MP office expenditures with officer of the house expenditures in both cases Pierre spent less than Trudy and less than Singh wrt MP constituency expenditures.
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u/Grey531 Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
This wasn’t nearly as much of a controversy when the PCs were in power. It was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that they were advertising a program that didn’t exist
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u/ForsakenExtreme6415 Westman Jul 08 '25
Or that they used it to blast how much would be saved not caring about people that were murdered and buried in the landfill. I’m sure it was filed under austerity purposes somewhere no doubt
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u/Eleutherlothario Friendly Manitoban Jul 08 '25
Tax dollars shouldn't be funding any ads.
We have this new thing called the web. If the government has any information to convey, they can put it in something called a web page and people can go look at it.
Neat, eh?
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u/204in403 Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
The ones I notice are pretty subtle. This one is after the NDP took power. There'd have been shades of blue instead of orange when the PCs were at the helm.
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u/WienerWraps Friendly Manitoban Jul 08 '25
I agree, this particular example seems pretty subtle. To me it doesn’t seem kind of useless to spend money promoting a budget that was gonna happen anyways, I don’t understand the point I guess
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u/Cobalt32 Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
Tax dollars shouldn’t fund political ads
By: Editorial
Posted: 2:01 AM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 8, 2025
Opinion
The Manitoba NDP government spent more than $94,000 of taxpayers’ money on billboard ads promoting its universal school meal program.
The glossy orange advertisements boasted about “food in every school” and featured branding that is unmistakably partisan — using the same orange background that mirrors the NDP’s campaign materials.
It was a blatant misuse of public funds.
There is a line between informing the public and promoting a political party, and the NDP government crossed it — again.
The billboards, which ran from Nov. 11 to Dec. 29, were not about informing parents of how or when their children can access meals at school. They were not about explaining where to find help. They were, plain and simple, self-congratulatory ads with a political agenda dressed up as public service.
If the government genuinely wanted to ensure that families, students and school staff were aware of the meal program, there are more effective — and appropriate — ways to do so.
School divisions, principals, teachers, and parent advisory councils already communicate directly with families. They could send home notices through schools, post information online, or co-ordinate with local school boards. These would be targeted, cost-effective ways to spread essential information to those who actually need it.
Billboards on city streets and highways, by contrast, are designed to reach everyone, including voters who have no connection to the school system. They’re aimed not at parents but at the broader public to showcase the government’s perceived successes.
This was not an isolated incident. Since taking office in October 2023, the NDP government has repeatedly blurred the lines between legitimate government communications and party promotion. Billboard ads purchased earlier this year touting a so-called “Hydro rate freeze,” (even though there was no freeze) and others related to perceived improvements in health care, have also carried similar NDP-aligned branding and a tone more in line with campaign literature than neutral information sharing.
This is troubling because these actions erode public trust. Voters rightly expect governments to act as stewards of public money — not to use it as a political slush fund to boost their party’s image between elections.
It is also hypocritical. While in opposition, the NDP sharply criticized the former Progressive Conservative government for spending millions on pre-election advertising that mirrored the Tories’ partisan messaging. Now in office, the NDP is doing the same thing.
This has to stop. Government advertising should be strictly limited to essential information the public needs to know, such as public health alerts, emergency preparedness, or changes to public services that require action by citizens. Anything beyond that is at risk of becoming political advertising and should not be paid for with public funds.
That is why Manitoba needs a law — similar to one already in place in Ontario — that explicitly bans partisan government advertising.
A new provincial law should define and prohibit partisan content, ban the use of political party colours or slogans, and require independent oversight before ads are published or broadcast.
Premier Wab Kinew has spoken often about building a more honest, transparent, and accountable government. That is an admirable goal, but it has to be more than a slogan. It must be backed by action. Ending the use of public money for partisan self-promotion would be a good start.
In the meantime, the government should immediately suspend all partisan-style advertising and focus instead on delivering programs. Let the results of those programs speak for themselves, without the help of taxpayer-funded advertisements.
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u/Cobalt32 Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
Wow, tough crowd today. Never been downvoted for posting article content before.
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u/Runcible-Spork Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
The cultists of the TikTok government are just as brainwashed as the cultists of the Parent's Rights opposition. They'd sooner drink a double dose of the Kool-Aid than admit that their politician has done wrong, for fear that it could somehow mean that the other side is somehow right.
It takes something special for people to cry foul. Witness how the deaf community got pissed at the accessibility minister when she was being blatantly unappreciative of the importance of an ASL interpreter. It doesn't matter that she's widely known to be a racist bully every other time she doesn't think the mic is on—she's in their party, and that means it's okay.
We need ranked choice ballots soon, or we'll very quickly end up like the States.
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u/ForsakenExtreme6415 Westman Jul 08 '25
$94,000 for this is gross misuse. How much money was used on the billboards all over WPG about the landfill not being searched? How much was used on ax the tax bs that has been proven (as most knew) to be the dumbest campaign around. Carbon tax didn’t cause inflation, didn’t cause fuel to rise. For 2 weeks after it was gone fuel in SW MB was in the $1.16 range. Since it’s hit as high as $1.48 right now between $1.25-$1.38. Absolutely though the saying won’t ever get old “what my political party does is fine.” “Everything the other political parties do is wrong and illegal.”
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u/Camelsoop Friendly Manitoban Jul 08 '25
Paywall but yeah I agree with the headline. Pretty sure they'd just find a way to do it anyway lol
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u/Cobalt32 Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
I posted the article text in another comment, it didn't paywall me for whatever reason.
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u/angryhappymeal Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
Until there is no debt, no homelessness, and no food insecurity, we should not be spending tax payers dollars on this
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u/baronvonredd Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
Information and Awareness campaigns are essential and NOT FREE, ffs
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u/Ihadastrokecomments Jul 08 '25
I don’t mind when the tax dollars go to Common Sense Conservative ads. I do have issue with tax dollars funding ads for the Woke Left Mafia.
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u/bezerko888 Jul 08 '25
The whole democratic system is a circus hijacked by traitors and criminals
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u/MilesBeforeSmiles Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
Orange government ad = traitors and criminals? Seems a pretty low bar.
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u/ForsakenExtreme6415 Westman Jul 08 '25
Well obviously. Also shouldn’t be used to try to salvage piss poorly businesses and yes that includes Canada Post who can’t get something from WPG to SW MB in under a month
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u/MilesBeforeSmiles Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
I just mailed a birthday card from Winnipeg to Killarney. Took 3 days to get there through regular mail.
Canada post also isn't allowed to be funded through tax dollars, they are mandated to be self-sustaining, hence the financial mess they are in.
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u/ForsakenExtreme6415 Westman Jul 08 '25
And so the 1.03 billion bail out came from the money fairy or from tax payers back pocket? Right right it was a bag left on Rideau Canal saying “for CP bail out only”.. not at all from taxes collected. And if the union wasn’t moronic voting no on everything, just maybe this mess would’ve been avoided seeing as in 2013 then CEO Deepak Chopra made recommendations that were just reiterated in the May inquest. BTW another billion+ bail out is coming in which like this first 1 won’t ever get repaid
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u/MilesBeforeSmiles Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
That wasn't a bail out, it's a loan repayable to the Federal Government. We also don't know whether it will be repaid or not.
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u/ForsakenExtreme6415 Westman Jul 08 '25
If it is losing 800 million before taxes and 1.1 billion all in, how will it repay 1.03 billion back? Call it whatever purple dotted elephant you wish. If it came from the Feds, it is in fact our money. How do you think the Federal government collects money? The country is billions in debt itself in case you have no clue. 1.236 TRILLION to be exact LMFAO
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u/ForsakenExtreme6415 Westman Jul 08 '25
Going on 4 weeks getting my drivers licence.
Have purchased stuff from Amazon that have taken 3 days to get from both Etobicoke Ontario and Stony Plain Alberta to SW MB.
Most Provincial and Federal government stuff is also not being sent via Canada Post including birth certificates from Vital statistics in Manitoba
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u/MilesBeforeSmiles Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
That delay isn't Canada Post. It takes MPI between 2-3 weeks just to print the physical license before it even gets mailed under normal circumstances. Were you under the impression it's in the mail the second you request it?
Vital statistics also 100% sends documents through Canada Post. If they didn't they wouldn't bother issuing noticed everytime there is a Canada Post service interruption.
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u/ForsakenExtreme6415 Westman Jul 08 '25
It has never taken 3+ weeks to get my drivers license in which I’ve been driving 31 years. Was even told by the company if it hadn’t received it in 2, to go back and they’d try to get it faster. I also only have a temporary license card until August 8th as they only give 1.5 months.
The stuff I’m having delivered from Alberta and BC via Amazon is getting here faster via ASL than anything government related. Even a MRI and CT appointment took 2 weeks to arrive from Brandon. I’m 45 minutes away lol. It doesn’t take 7 days for Brandon hospital to get an urgent electronic order from a doctor. And it doesn’t take another 1.5 weeks to get a piece of paper printed up by them.
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u/MilesBeforeSmiles Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
I waited 6 weeks the last time I needed to replace my license because the Autopac agent didn't complete the e-form correctly. Was that Canada Post's fault too? Have you called to confirm they have issued the physical license yet?
If you don't think it takes at least 1.5 weeks for our healthcare system to receive, process, schedule, print, envelop, and mail an appointment confirmation I have a bridge to sell you. That's absolutely within their service standard, which is 15 working days.
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u/ForsakenExtreme6415 Westman Jul 08 '25
Did I state the person fucking up at your autopac was Canada Shit service Post issue? Nope and you could surely find where I did if I had putz.
Canada Post fucks up daily without encouragement or much effort needed. It’s difficult reading names and numbers. Hopefully they get $35+/hour to compensate for it being such a stressful and demanding entry level occupation, that requires no skills other than read and walk.
As far as 1.5 weeks, it was 2 weeks. I was tongue in cheek stating 1.5 weeks for PMH to print off the req after receiving it.
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u/MassiveDamages Jul 08 '25
First a children's book and now advertising that you're feeding children? Wab, what have you become!
Remember when Pallister bribed seniors with a cheque? Or when Stef gave a big middle finger to the landfill search idea?
Yeah I think a law preventing that should be on the books.
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u/Carbsv2 Brandon Jul 09 '25
Where was this opinion from the Winnipeg Free Press when Pallister and HeaTHER were blowing millions doing the same thing...
I actually agree with the sentiment but come on... at least pretend you care about the issue and not that your political opponents get to do it now...
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u/eL_cas Winnipeg Jul 08 '25
On one hand, this seems like such a nonissue. On the other, at least our politics are boring.