[Dion]

NDP ad buy for controversial climate plan drips with hypocrisy

It was March 2012 and then-premier Alison Redford was under fire for spending more than $1.3 million of taxpayers' money on ad campaigns.

The other parties were upset.

Among those tossing buns was then-NDP Leader Brian Mason.

"It's more evidence, if we need any, that the entire communications campaign of the provincial government is essentially a partisan effort paid for with taxpayers' money, but designed to prop up Alison Redford and the PC party," Mason, now infrastructure and transportation minister, said at the time.

"They should be asked to pay for this because this is PC propaganda — it's not government advertising and it's obviously being pushed from the premier's office."

How things have changed.

But NDP Premier Rachel Notley says the advertising efforts are “absolutely” justified.

Once the critics of such moves, NDP MLAs seem to have found great comfort in taking tax dollars to prop up unpopular policy — using the government piggy bank to sell partisan popularity.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2016/12/08...with-hypocrisy