An observation on why the Maritimes are an economic mess

I've been watching the hockey playoffs of Bell Expressvu. I've ended up watching it today on Channel 200 - which is CBC in Newfoundland. So far in the two games I've watched on the station today, I swear that over half the commercials are from government agencies. It is pretty bad that the government is wasting money on this rather than cutting taxes and giving private enterprise the economic environment where they could prosper. So what did we learn from all these ads:

1. The lottery is good because it funds "social programs"
2. Banning smoking in bars, bingo halls, and restaurants in Newfoundand and Labrador will make you happy (I guess they way to fight a job killing unpopular piece of social engineering, on top of taxing smokes to over $10/pack is a good propaganda offensive telling them white is black. Goebbels would be proud).
3. Newfoundland artists are special and want your love.

Pathetic. I think that a good platform for any 'real' conservative party would be to bar the government from advertising anything outside of what is legally necessary. A slush fund to TV stations, ad agencies, and do nothing bureaucrats.