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The Conservative party released two new ads this week attacking NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh as a "sellout," blaming him for a national rise in crime, housing prices and costly living.
The ads question why Singh is keeping Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in power at a time when national opinion polls show the Liberal minority government remains unpopular with Canadians.
The New Democrats signed a political pact with the Liberals in 2022 to secure their support on key votes in the House of Commons, in exchange for progress on shared priorities like pharmacare and dental care.
Conservatives suggest Singh is maintaining the deal to secure his MP pension, which he will qualify for in October 2025, when the next federal election is scheduled.
The ads also show real photos of Singh wearing a luxury watch, carrying a Versace tote and driving a BMW.
"Sellout Singh. He gets his pension, you pay the price," the ad's tag line says.
The ads are running across the country in various ridings, the Conservative party said, but didn't provide further details.
The NDP call the ads a "dishonest personal attack."
The Conservatives launched the campaign to distract "from their plans to cut health care and keep helping billionaires and CEOs at the expense of working people," said Anne McGrath, principal secretary to the NDP leader.
"For 20 years, (Conservative Leader Pierre) Poilievre has had a six-figure taxpayer-funded salary, pension and dental care — yet he voted against a federal minimum wage, to make cuts to CPP pensions and raise the retirement age, and voted to take away dental care from children and seniors," McGrath said in a statement.
In the ads, the official opposition attacks the NDP record of voting alongside Liberal policies, which Conservatives blame for making people's lives miserable.
"Sellout Singh is offside with hardworking Canadians who are struggling to pay for gas, food and housing," the Conservative party said in a statement.
Poilievre has focused heavily on pocketbook issues as his party maintains a considerable lead over the Liberals in the polls. Those polls also show support for the NDP has stalled.
The Conservatives have also intensified efforts to court the support of union workers, who may have voted for the New Democrats in the past.
Some national union leaders have cautioned their members about supporting Poilievre, and have gone as far as to say that he borrows language from labour movements but represents a threat to workers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2024.
Comments
The Tories, odious and predictable though they are, are very good at smelling the blood from fresh meat when the base is ravenous. This is just another example where whatever the nuance or political complexities may be, their assertions can easily feel true, especially since it's extremely easy to argue that Singh has been pitifully meek in his approach to leveraging any kind of better concessions from supporting the LPC.
Well, "meek" or not, they still got more of their policies in place than ever before (after all these DECADES I might add) with the Liberal agreement, which btw, THEY ALSO SIGNED.
And the reason the NDP help keep the Liberals in power is quite simple. Because we're on the same side, we're all progressives and together we represent the natural majority of Canadians.
We've all seen what an injection of real hope can do, so why not manufacture some of our own here by starting a NEW POLITICAL PARTY called the "Progressive Party of Canada?!
Look how the Democrats have united with common purpose to restore democracy.
I knew there had to be a reason for my visceral gag reflex every time Poilievre opens his trap like mouth. Now he's expanded to billboards which thankfully have not appeared in my neighbourhood. Everything that might be called conservative these days is really nothing more than malice aforethought and meanmouth pandering to the kleptocratic capitalism hell bent on despoiling a livable earth.