Tories cited for TV ads touting job grant
Program didn’t exist, watchdog says
A federal government television commercial touting a not-yet-existent Canada Job Grant was misleading and a breach of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, Canada’s advertising watchdog has ruled.
In a letter to James Gilbert, assistant deputy human resources minister, Advertising Standards Canada said it received more than 20 consumer complaints alleging the ad was “misleading.”
After reviewing the complaints, the council concluded the ad, which aired in May at prime time during NHL playoffs and likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, indeed “omitted relevant information,” contrary to the code.
But since the government withdrew the ad before the council hearing and promised it wouldn’t air in its “current form in the future,” the council said it would not identify the government in its next online “Ad Complaints Report.” The self-regulating body’s only remedy is to ask that an ad be changed or removed.
“The general impression conveyed by this commercial to council was that implementing this program was imminent; that the program would be in place immediately upon obtaining approval from only one level of government, the federal parliament. However, the program, which involves matching grants from employers and provinces/territories, requires prior agreement with, and buy-in from, those partners,”
‘In reality, the implementation of this program is not imminent, and the process of obtaining such agreement may well take a considerable length of time ...’ ADVERTISING STANDARDS CANADA In a letter to James Gilbert, Human Resources ADM
says the letter obtained by Postmedia News.
“In reality, the implementation of this program is not imminent, and the process of obtaining such agreement may well take a considerable length of time if, in fact, an accord with the provinces and territories is even possible.”
While the ad indicated the government would “partner” with business, provinces and territories, the council added it “did not suggest to council that the program was conditional upon the support and participation of these associates, which is anything but certain.”
Alexandra Fortier, a spokeswoman for Employment Minister Jason Kenney who has assumed the jobs grant file, said the government has “addressed this administrative issue with the Advertising Standards Council” and that the “ads rotation ended several months ago.”
“The fact is that previous investments in skills training were not as effective as they could be, resulting in a skills mismatch with too many jobs without people and people without jobs,” she said.
During a meeting last month, however, 13 provincial and territorial leaders unanimously rejected the jobs grant proposal, saying it wouldn’t work and could damage existing efforts to help people find jobs.
At the time, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said the program would remove some existing federal transfers and require $600 million in new provincial and territorial government spending. She also complained about a lack of consultation on the matter.