Government Advertising

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: My question is for the Acting Premier today. Why didn't you protect the tax dollars that you handed over to Samsung from being funnelled into full-page, partisan ads in the Toronto Star?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: What I can say is that the investment that has been made by the people of Ontario with Samsung will create 16,000 jobs in the province of Ontario. I think that's very important to families who will benefit from that investment, who will gain employment with that company.

This is a direct result of the Green Energy Act that we've passed in the province of Ontario. It has been recognized around the world that this is the jurisdiction to invest in with respect to green technology. Samsung has partnered with us to move that forward. We're very delighted with that, and we're particularly delighted because 16,000 Ontarians will gain employment from this investment.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Their promise to create jobs holds up as well as their vow to end political partisan advertising with our dime.

Last week, Dalton McGuinty was caught red-handed taking money from Ontario families and giving it to his own Liberal family for partisan HST ads. Now the Liberals are at it again with a full-page ad that Samsung placed in the Toronto Star, after they cut the foreign company a multibillion-dollar sweetheart deal.

When the Liberals were in opposition, they said they would make it illegal to use public money to create a partisan impression of the government. In fact, Dalton McGuinty said, "Partisan government advertising is a disease, and I have the cure."

So I have a question for you, Acting Premier: Why would you say you would stop partisan ads when you had no intention of doing so?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: Well, we did. I know that the honourable member was not in this Legislature when her party was in government. She would have then seen first-hand what partisan government advertising is all about.

I know my colleague who sits next to me, from St. Catharines, even has some examples in his desk of calendars that were put out with members' pictures. There were ads in newspapers. There was a lot of taxpayer money spent by the former government for partisan ads.

When we came to government, we said that was unacceptable. Taxpayers did not appreciate seeing their dollars spent that way, and we stopped that practice. It is something that we continue to be committed to adhering to. We go to the Integrity Commissioner to ensure-

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.