Do Tory Attack Ads Mean A Spring Election Is In The Offing?
Posted January 29, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
For a man who claims he doesn’t want a spring election, Stephen Harper’s party is making all the right noises about when we’ll be going to the polls.
As the House of Commons began its first session of the new year on Monday, the Conservatives didn’t waste any time in going on the offensive.
They’ve launched a series of attack ads this week aimed squarely at the Liberal Party and its new leader, Stephane Dion.
The commercials, which will air during some high powered primetime shows – including the Super Bowl – show Dion being criticized by those who ran against him during the leadership convention and remind voters about why they tossed the Grits out a year ago.
One features Dion insisting ‘we must get back into power’ and then references the sponsorship scandal.
Another questions the new leader’s ability and openly mocks his record as environment minister.
The campaign was the talk of Parliament Hill as the unruly class of MPs returned from their holiday.
“We’re pointing out the truth,” a brusque Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay explains as he brushes past reporters.
“They’re headed straight for the gutter,” ripostes Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale, condemning the tactics.
The ads tarnish the Grits’ stance on the environment, which is one of Dion’s pet causes. The hope is that they’ll force the Liberals into a posture that will make them too pre-occupied with defending themselves to worry about bringing down the Tories.
Dion insists he’s not worried about the approach the Conservatives are taking. “I have always been confident in the intelligence of the Canadian people,” he explains simply.
Critics have weighed in on the controversial ads, with one prominent group calling the Conservatives hypocritical.
“It’s quite ironic that a party that has, in the past, opposed Kyoto ratification, opposed every single effort to implement the Kyoto protocol in Canada, would turn around and attack any previous minister of the environment saying you haven’t done enough,” condemns Steven Gilbeault of Greenpeace.
The ads, which many see as an unofficial kick-off to a looming election, come despite the fact the Prime Minister insists he has no plans to send Canadians to the polls.
“What would be the point of an election, especially if it would just result in another minority anyway?” Harper wonders.
It’s an interesting statement, since it seems to indicate Harper believes he would win again – but still wouldn’t get a majority.
Any election could call could well come in March.
That’s when the government unveils its highly anticipated budget. It’s expected the Liberals – with a new leader now finally in place – could try to vote down the document and force a national vote.
But Haper claims he has that covered, too.
“It’s up to the Opposition to explain why, two months before they’ve seen a budget, they’re talking about defeating it. Don’t they owe it to the Canadian public to first see what’s in a budget before they would decide whether or not they should vote for it?”
So stay tuned to your local Parliamentary channel. To paraphrase Bette Davis in the movie “All About Eve”, “Fasten your seatbelts. There are going to be some bumpy nights.” And the ride begins this week.
To see all three of the ads, click here.
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