(LifeSiteNews) –– A Canadian pro-life group has had one of its billboard ads canceled by a major company because the latter said the messaging creates too much “controversy.”
According to True North, Manitoba-based pro-life group Life Culture had planned to use the same image it used last year for a Christmas themed pro-life advertisement, but that Pattison Outdoor Advertisements decided not to allow the image to be displayed on its billboards.
The executive director of Life Culture, Susan Penner, told True North that her group’s pro-life image showed a pregnant mom cradling the baby in her womb. It included a caption that read, “Celebrate the gift of life!” Penner noted that the ad was to remind Canadians that, in an age of abortion and euthanasia, “life and pregnancy is a gift.”
Despite the pleasant nature of the advertisement, billboard company Pattison claimed that the ad created too much “controversy” when displayed last year, and that it has received “backlash” from comparable ads in the past.
According to Penner, emails from Pattison sent to Life Culture show that the advertising giant had initially agreed to give the ad space for the pro-life ads, which were to be displayed for the Christmas season in three locations, two in Winnipeg and one in the city of Steinbach.
After appearing to get the go-ahead for the ads, Penner said she got another email from Pattison letting her know that they would no longer be working with her group.
“Susan, I regret to inform you that my compliance department will not allow your creative to post on our inventory,” read a portion of the email, which was shared with True North.
Pattison went on to state that the “category of the content is pro-life/pro-choice, and it simply creates too much controversy for us.”
Penner asked for clarification, noting how the group had billboard ads in place last year without issue. Pattison claimed that its “compliance department has had to expand our restrictions” and that they “cannot take the risk of public complaints.”
‘Shame on Pattison’ for ‘banning pro-life speech,’ says advocate
Life Culture’s plight caught the attention of Campaign Life Coalition communications director Pete Baklinski, who urged all “pro-life Canadians” to “unite” in support of the group.
“Pattison Outdoor Advertisements just banned a beautiful pro-life sign in Manitoba, saying it would create ‘too much controversy,’” wrote Baklinski on X Thursday.
Pro-life Canadians unite!
Pattison Outdoor Advertisements just banned a beautiful pro-life sign in Manitoba, saying it would create “too much controversy.”
The image features a pregnant woman cradling her belly. The caption reads: “Celebrate the gift of life!”
Please repost… pic.twitter.com/AVNfs1Gfgz
— Pro-life Canadian Man (@PeteBaklinski) December 12, 2024
“Please repost this message and let @pattisonoutdoor know that they’ve courted ‘controversy’ by banning pro-life speech. Shame on Pattison for banning a sign which merely highlights the beauty and excitement of pregnancy. Repost this now!”
When asked about Pattison’s decision to ban her group’s ads, Penner lamented the state of affairs in Canada for pro-life groups trying to get their messages out.
She observed, “How have we gotten so far in our country that life has become so offensive that a billboard designed to highlight the beauty and excitement of pregnancy is deemed controversial.”
Penner also noted how Canada’s “pro-abortion activist government” has created an atmosphere of fear surrounding the issue of abortion, specifically highlighting how the government has been “pitting life and women’s rights against each other.”
“Businesses fear the legal and economic consequences if there’s any indication, they support life. Churches fear losing a charitable probation status … Individuals fear losing friends or acceptance,” she added.
Giving credibility to Penner’s statements, Manitoba’s New Democratic Party premier, Wab Kinew, recently passed a law prohibiting pro-life activism outside of abortion mills, a move which also drew the ire of CLC and other groups.
As for the pro-abortion government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it has recently brought forth legislation seeking to target the charitable tax status of pro-life groups, which activists have warned could put them out of business.
LifeSiteNews contacted Life Culture for comment on the matter, but as of press time has not received a reply.