Article content

TORONTO — Ontario’s auditor general would have banned a new government ad promoting an upcoming climate change plan as partisan, had the Liberals not changed the rules last year.

Bonnie Lysyk warned when the changes were announced that her office would be reduced to a rubber stamp, even when she felt ads were partisan, and now that indeed is the case, she said Friday.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Ontario government ad promoting climate change plan would have been banned under old rules: AG Back to video

“I find it sad,” she said. “I think Ontario had a great act before. I think Ontario was a leader in looking at this type of thing and it just seems a step backwards.”

The Liberal government released an ad this week featuring David Suzuki telling a room full of children that they will be left to solve the problem of climate change because not enough adults are listening.

“If we don’t act now, the damage could be irreversible,” Suzuki tells the children. “Who will have to live with the consequences? You.”

The intent of the ad is to create a positive impression of government doing something versus being specific.

Words then appear on the screen saying, “let’s not leave this for our kids to figure out,” and the 30-second spot ends with a narrator telling the viewer to “be a part of Ontario’s climate change action plan.”