"This government was adamant that they would not do any political advertising," said Mr. Sweeney. "However, this is another clear example that when they are on shaky ground they will use taxpayers money to try and get their political message out .When they were in opposition they set a pretty high standard to which they are now ignoring completely."

The Liberal critic says there have been other occasions when the conservatives used taxpayers dollars to communicate political messages. During the public sector strike this spring, government spent approximately $200,000 in advertising. We now see another huge expenditure to promote a watered down auto insurance reform package. This at a time when government is cutting the services of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. "There is no real public service message in this auto insurance material. It is primarily blatant political propaganda designed to cover up their failure to deliver the kind of savings they promised and which are possible to achieve. The intent here is clearly political damage control."

Sweeney says the pamphlet is misleading and does not give a full and fair explanation of the issue. "These reforms are not fair or meaningful for consumers and the savings are only a fraction of what they could be. I think the government knows they are in trouble on this issue and they think an expensive glossy propaganda campaign will convince people that this issue has been dealt with. I really expect this to backfire on government. I think the people of this province will see this pamphlet for exactly what it is and what it represents."

The Liberal MHA says he will continue to challenge the minister and this government to implement an automobile insurance that will provide higher savings for consumers. He is also asking for the cost of this latest public relations campaign.