Photos found on website were Canada Post and the National Film Board advertised
As QMI Agency first reported this morning, at least two federal government agencies advertised on websites featuring soft pornography.
The National Film Board was prepared to spend up to $5,000 a day advertising on photoforum.ru and photo.net, websites with graphic photos of naked women — some appearing to be less than 18 years old.
Canada Post was, until Tuesday, also advertising on photoforum.ru, when alerted of its ad placements by QMI Agency.
Spokeswoman Anick Losier said Canada Post did not buy advertising directly with the website, which she was blocked from seeing on her work computer, but its ad agency, Cossette, signed up to deliver a six-week-old campaign with Google AdSense.
“This site unfortunately passed through our filters,” she said. “We’ve immediately blocked the site from using our ads.”
Losier thanked QMI for alerting Canada Post to the problem and said the crown corporation was now investigating all the websites where it advertises.
The National Film Board’s Lily Robert said the advertisements for GDP, a web-documentary series on the human side of the economic crisis, had been an unfortunate mistake.
“The NFB never never ever intentionally bought an ad there,” she said.
Heritage Minister James Moore’s office said it was trying to nail down what had happened.
Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla said Wednesday that ministers should be held responsible for the lapse in judgment. She called for a thorough review of government advertising and the ads to be taken down immediately.
