Trudeau attack ads illegal, say Liberals

Complaint filed with Elections Canada

The federal Liberals have filed a complaint with the Elections Canada commissioner alleging the Tories broke Canadian copyright and election laws with their Justin Trudeau attack ads.

Unveiled within hours of Trudeau being named Liberal leader last week, the 30-second Conservative advertisements feature footage of Trudeau shot by the Huffington Post at a charity fundraiser in 2011, as well as video from an interview he gave to CTV in 1999. Both the Huffington Post and CTV have indicated the footage was used without permission.

In a letter sent to Elections Canada Commissioner Yves Côté, Liberal MP Stéphane Dion alleges the Conservative Party made “unauthorized use of this material,” which is “inconsistent with our country’s copyright laws.”

Dion also alleges the Tories may have violated the Elections Act because using the footage without paying for it constitutes a “non-monetary contribution” to the party by a company, which is not allowed.

The attack ads are being aired nationally and during the current byelection campaign in Labrador.

Dion is asking for Côté to rule on whether the Conservatives have broken Canadian election laws.

Conservative Party spokesman Fred DeLorey accused the Liberals in an email of being “desperate to keep Canadians from learning the truth about Justin Trudeau’s poor judgment and inexperience.” He did not respond to questions over whether the party used the footage without permission.

In addition to the television ads, the Liberals have accused the Tories of abusing taxpayer dollars by planning to send thousands of mail-outs on the public dime to households across the country reiterating their message that Trudeau is “in over his head.”

The mail-outs are usually supposed to be used by MPs to update their constituents on what is happening in the House of Commons. According to the documents, the antiTrudeau flyers will be mailed out June 1. The Conservatives have defended the move, saying the flyer campaign does not contravene any laws or rules, parliamentary or otherwise, and that they are simply trying to inform Canadians about Trudeau.

New Democrats, meanwhile, accused the Liberals of hypocrisy when it comes to the flyers as former interim Liberal leader Bob Rae recently sent taxpayer-funded flyers to households in NDP MP Craig Scott’s Toronto riding warning about Scott’s private member’s bill dealing with the Clarity Act.