OTTAWA – from www.thestar.com — For shame! Canada Post is embarrassed and apologetic over a racy advertisement that appeared on its website.

The online advertisement for a red and black garter dress, which lacks any fabric to cover the chest of the model wearing it in the accompanying photo, came to the attention of the federal government on Wednesday when Liberal MP Bonnie Crombie [pictured] brought it up in the House of Commons.

“There is erotic advertising on a government website,” Crombie (Mississauga-Streetsville) said during Question Period, going on to say that Canada Post has an online store featuring retailers selling “racy lingerie” and “erotic products.”

The revelation sent members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery racing to the website of the Crown Corporation, which runs a price-comparison service helping shoppers to find the best deals available online.

Was Crombie referring to the models wearing nothing but bras and panties? Was it the Santa Claus bustier set? Surely not the comfortable-looking pair of white, full-cut briefs?

Canada Post spokeswoman Anick Losier was still trying to figure out exactly what happened Wednesday, but said an advertisement for an online merchant called The Adult Boutique — that would be the one selling the red and black garter dress — had slipped through the filtering process.

Losier said the advertisement, which links to The Adult Boutique website selling sex toys and other items much racier than lingerie, was being removed from the Canada Post website.

“We had a filtering process that obviously is not working properly,” said Losier. “We are definitely reviewing that and we are definitely apologizing for any offence that this may have caused anyone.”

The Adult Boutique, which was until Wednesday just one of about 500 Canadian and American retailers featured on the Canada Post shopping service, did not respond to a request for comment submitted through its website.

Rob Merrifield, the minister of state for transport who responded to Crombie in the Commons, said the Conservative government was taking it seriously.

“It’s not appropriate for a Crown corporation to get into selling inappropriate materials and that’s where I’m at and I believe that’s what Canadian citizens expect of us,” Merrifield told reporters after Question Period, noting that Canada Post was taking it down.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff agreed, but had some fun with it, too.

“Well, I’m an absolute fan of lacy lingerie,” Ignatieff told reporters after Question Period. “I want to make that perfectly clear. But I don’t think it’s appropriate to sell that on Canada Post.”