Quebec's chief returning officer says it will not cancel an online public service announcement that has rankled the TVA television network.
TVA wants Elections Quebec to pull an ad that features a fictional news program called "Chouinard en Direct."
TVA says the Chouinard character resembles TVA personality Jean-Luc Mongrain.
The network claims the ad threatens Mongrain's reputation but in a letter to TVA, returning officer Marcel Blanchet said the spot does not depict any one person.
The publicity campaign is aimed at using humour to get people to vote.
Record lows
Just 57 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot during the Quebec election last December - one of the lowest turnout rates in the province's history.
Some observers say apathy and fatigue played a part as Quebecers voted for a third time since March 2007 including a federal election.
