Federal officials are facing scrutiny after MPs raised concerns that the Liberal Party’s “Canada Strong” campaign slogan has been used in taxpayer-funded government advertising, potentially violating rules meant to keep public communications non-partisan.Blacklock's Reporter says at a meeting of the Commons government operations committee, members pointed to Treasury Board guidelines that explicitly prohibit the use of political slogans or partisan branding in federal advertising, warning the current practice risks undermining public trust.Matthew Shea, chief financial officer at the Privy Council Office, acknowledged the concerns and said the issue may be subject to differing interpretations, adding the department would review the matter.“We are a non-partisan organization,” Shea told MPs. “Our communications team would absolutely provide advice on that. I think from what I’ve heard from the committee, there may be different interpretations.”The dispute centres on a 2016 Treasury Board directive requiring all federal advertising to remain free of party slogans, identifiers or bias, including the use of imagery or language closely associated with the governing party.MPs noted the phrase “Canada Strong” — widely used in Liberal campaign messaging — has appeared in government communications from multiple departments and agencies, including Parks Canada, the Department of Finance and VIA Rail. Federal advertising spending totalled $78.1 million last year..Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer pressed officials on whether safeguards are in place to prevent partisan messaging from appearing in publicly funded campaigns.“You have got to reassure Canadians there is somebody in your department who is making sure partisan language is not being used in government communication,” Patzer said, calling the situation a breach of trust.Shea said he was aware of the Treasury Board rules but indicated he was not directly involved in communications decisions and could not speak to internal advice provided on the slogan’s use.Bloc Québécois MP Marie-Helene Gaudreau also questioned how the slogan was approved, suggesting it was unlikely to have gone unnoticed within government.“I am really stunned,” she said, adding she suspected direction may have come from higher levels.Liberal MP Vince Gasparro defended the phrase, arguing “Canada Strong” is not inherently partisan and that critics were overstating its political nature.But committee chair Tory MP Kelly McCauley rejected that argument, noting the phrase was used as a campaign slogan and therefore falls under the prohibition outlined in Treasury Board policy.“It literally violates the Treasury Board rules,” McCauley said, emphasizing that government communications must remain clearly separated from party branding.
