Tories commit $ 16 million towards ‘ action plan’ ads while axing programs

OTTAWA — The Conservative government has approved tens of millions of dollars in “economic action plan” ads this year even as it cites fiscal restraint to cut programs such as scientific research and environmental monitoring.

While Finance officials are refusing to disclose the budget for the current blitz, contracts listed on the department’s website suggest the saturation ad campaign is costing taxpayers about $ 14 million.

A Treasury Board document shows that cabinet previously approved $ 16 million in “economic action plan” advertising in the first quarter of this year.

That doesn’t include $ 5 million approved for a “better jobs” ad campaign, $ 8 million to sell Canadians on cuts to old age security, and $ 5 million to promote “responsible resource development” — the slogan given to an environmental assessment system that was cut back and restructured in the last budget. All the measures are promoted on the government’s “economic action plan” web site.

The Conservatives also approved $ 4.5 million for War of 1812 advertising this year.

In all, the federal cabinet has already approved more than $ 64 million in ad spending for 2012- 13 — seemingly well on its way to matching the $ 83.3 million they spent in 2010- 11, the last year for which complete numbers are available.

When the Conservatives came to office in 2006, they inherited a federal advertising budget of $ 41.3 million — a total they have doubled, and in one case more than tripled, every year they’ve been in power to date.

The ad spending comes as Treasury Board President Tony Clement oversees sweeping cuts to government programs in an across- the- board belt- tightening exercise.

World- renowned programs such as the Experimental Lakes Area are being axed for savings of $ 2 million annually, while the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy was cut to save $ 5.5 million.