How Alberta is getting away with running deceptive ads on Trans Mountain
Canada's Code of Advertising Standards is meant to ensure accuracy, but doesn't apply to 'political issues'
The advertisement Susan saw was a cutesy cartoon format — featuring animations of mountains, hospitals and wind turbines, along with birds clasping coins and people erecting trees.
"One of Canada's most valuable resources has flowed along the Trans Mountain Pipeline since 1953," said the narrator. "Enriching our lives in many ways." An upbeat jingle played in the background.
Then the ad went on to say "the expansion doesn't mean more oil production" — a claim Susan was sure was false.
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"The ad says the pipeline will not increase oil production," she wrote in her complaint. "But news articles show that pipeline availability is a factor in increasing oil production."
She wasn't wrong to be concerned about the accuracy of the statement, but it turns out the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards — including the important rules that ensure advertisements are accurate and not deceptive or misleading — don't apply to advertising paid for by the government that is deemed to be about a "political issue."
Susan was appalled.
"Government should be held to a higher standard," she told The Narwhal.
Jonathan Rose, associate professor of political studies at Queen's University, echoed Susan's concerns. Rose told The Narwhal he worries about truth in advertising by governments, and noted that companies are held to higher standards. "It is bizarre that the standard does not apply to parties or governments," he said.
"You wonder whether government is advertising at the behest of corporate interest," he said.
"If the government is making an argument the same as a corporation, that should give us pause."
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And in its final arguments, included in a document filed with the National Energy Board in December 2015, Trans Mountain made its intentions clear: "Additional pipeline capacity is required for growing Canadian production."
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