According to the U.S. Department of Defense, NORAD's powerful radar system has 47 installations across Alaska and northern Canada. As soon as that radar system picks up on Santa departing from the North Pole, NORAD tracks him via globally integrated satellites using their infrared sensors. As Santa flies around the world, satellites track his position by detecting Rudolph's nose, which gives off an infrared signature similar to that of a missile.NORAD also tracks Santa using U.S. Air Force F-15, F-16, F-22 and Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jets. On Christmas Eve, fighter pilots rendezvous with Santa off the coast of Newfoundland to welcome him to North America.Canada's lead role in this massive, mission-critical operation was not as well-known until yesterday: the Prime Minister and the Minister of Transport must personally step in at precisely the right moment to ensure that Santa is cleared to travel in Canadian airspace.The behind-the-scene manoeuvres were revealed on December 23rd in a two-minute online video from Transports Canada. It features Justin Trudeau, as a man who came in from the cold, telling his most senior operative, Omar Alghabra, that it's time. This triggers a carefully choreographed chain of events, including the smashing of a red Christmas ornament to access the required launch code.The high-stake thriller ends with the Transport Canada logo and the animated government of Canada word mark.While the intent is clearly to deliver a humourous holiday message to Canadians, including those who are not yet old enough to vote, this is government advertising, not a holiday greetings card from elected politicians.As such, it should be subject to the Treasury Board guidelines for what should be objective, factual, and explanatory non-partisan advertising. According to the policy, Government of Canada advertising should be free from the dominant use of the primary colour associated with the governing party, unless an item is commonly depicted in that colour. It should also be free from the use of any name, voice or image of a minister, member of Parliament or senator.This particular ad was likely not reviewed by Advertising Standards Canada, the independent organization that conducts the reviews on behalf of the Government of Canada. Only campaigns with budgets over $250,000 must be reviewed to ensure that creative materials are non-partisan. Still, the process states that campaigns with smaller budgets may also be voluntarily submitted for review.When the Harper Government spent heavily to advertise its blue-coloured Economic Action Plan, it was accused of using public funds for partisan purposes. While it's convenient that red is the dominant colour associated with both Santa and the Liberals, the lead roles played on screen by two members of Parliament would have raised red flags with the reviewers.This was no doubt produced with no partisan motive. It's nevertheless a slippery frozen slope when the governing party uses public funds to signal that the Prime Minister and his Minister of Transport have the power to prevent Santa from delivering gifts to naughty Canadian kids.Éric Blais is the president of Headspace Marketing in Toronto. He has helped build brands for over 35 years and is a frequent commentator on political marketing, most recently on CBC's Power & Politics.