The Harper government on Monday stood by its decision to spend
millions on advertising campaigns during the Olympics, after it came
under attack from the opposition NDP for putting “propaganda
advertising” ahead of this country’s athletes.
Last week, documents tabled in Parliament showed the government spent more than $4 million on advertisements that ran during the London Olympics, a total that was about 20 times more on than the amount paid out in bonuses to medal winners.
In
the Commons, the NDP asked the government why there was more money
spent to promote a commemorative coin for the Olympics than there was
spent on medallists. The coin campaign through the Royal Canadian Mint
cost more than $1.1 million, while about $214,000 was doled out in medal
bonuses to Olympic athletes.
“We do indeed put our athletes first. If we look at the Own the Podium
program and the investments we made there, certainly after the 2010
Olympics, we are very proud of our Canadian athletes,” said Heritage
Minister James Moore.
“We take every opportunity to highlight the
brilliance of our athletes. We have welcomed them here on Parliament
Hill, supported their programs to ensure that our athletes do indeed
shine on the international stage, and not only supporting athletes
directly, but also supporting the opportunities for our athletes.”
Moore
said the government would continue spending money to promote Canada’s
history, which was at the centre of the costliest ad campaign run during
the Olympics.
The NDP’s sport critic suggested that the
government should have taken some of the almost $4.5 million from the
advertising budget and used it to fund athletes or youth sports.
“It’s
good to do a little advertising, but I think we’re reaching the point
where the entire thing has been quite excessive,” Matthew Dube said
outside the Commons.
In all, federal spending on advertising that
ran during the Olympics was about $4.46 million, with the largest
spenders being Canadian Heritage, which oversees War of 1812
commemorations. The Mint spent $1.13 million on television ads and a special page on the Mint’s website promoting the coin dubbed the “Lucky Loonie.”
The
advertising spending also created television and online campaigns to
promote tax credits from the federal budget and new citizenship
requirements.
The $4-million-plus advertising costs aren’t
complete. Canada Post, for instance, declined to reveal how much it
spent on advertising a promotional stamp for the Games, saying it was
“financial and commercial in nature and has always been treated as
confidential.” As well, the final costs for some other federal agencies
have yet to be tabulated and won’t be known for at least another month,
according to Public Works and Government Services Canada, which tracks
all government advertising.
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