OntarioBill 54First Reading
Bill 54: End the Public Funding of Partisan Government Advertising Act, 2025
Sponsor: Stiles, MaritIntroduced June 5, 2025Last checked August 28, 2026
Read the official text on ola.orgOfficial version — Legislative Assembly of Ontario
What this bill does
This Ontario bill restores the Auditor General's authority to block government advertising deemed partisan before it is published, reversing 2015 amendments that weakened oversight. It reinstates prohibitions on using government ads that feature politicians' names or images, are partisan, or fail to meet prescribed standards.
Plain-language summary by Legisail.
Business impact
Compliance
This bill primarily affects the Ontario provincial government and its advertising practices rather than private businesses directly. However, advertising agencies, media companies, and marketing firms in Ontario that hold government contracts for producing and placing advertisements may experience workflow changes, as ads will need full Auditor General approval before they can be published, displayed, or broadcast. This could mean longer lead times and potential project cancellations if ads are rejected. Government advertising suppliers of all sizes — from small creative studios to larger media buying firms — should expect revised timelines and approval processes built into future contracts.
Does this apply to you?
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Where this bill is
First ReadingJune 5, 2025
Next: Second Reading debate
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