Conservative party reluctant to talk about latest TV ads targeting Trudeau

OTTAWA – The Conservative party is blanketing the country with a fresh round of television ads attacking Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau — but unlike past campaigns, it hasn’t posted the spots online nor informed its supporters about the big ad buy.

Vigilant politics watchers began posting ad sightings on Twitter on Monday, and by week’s end it was evident that three different Trudeau ads are being aired on everything from morning news shows to prime time network TV and sports specialty channels.

The governing Conservatives launched a barrage of television ads against Trudeau last spring immediately after he was crowned Liberal party leader, and have had a long-running series of Trudeau-focused radio ads airing across the country.

But unlike previous high-profile Conservative ad campaigns, the party has not posted the latest spots online where they can be shared, reviewed and critiqued.

Alex Marland, a professor at Memorial University who specializes in political communication, says the Liberals under Trudeau have become adept at using Conservative attacks to galvanize the Liberal base and raise funds — which may explain why the Tories haven’t provided an online record of the ads.

A spokesman for the Conservative party says Canadians need to know where Trudeau stands on issues, but wouldn’t discuss the size of the ad buy or the reason the ads aren’t posted online.

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