Green Party leader Elizabeth May should be commended for her optimism and rose-coloured vision in her party’s newest ad streaming on the Internet and running on several TV stations. The “attack ad on attack ads” is clever in its direction, stating that Canadians deserve better than non-stop attack ads from the other major parties. Unfortunately May’s altruism is naive — attack ads work and playing nice won’t win her party seats in the next election.
The 30-second clip making the rounds on YouTube states that aggressive, mean-spirited advertising, “does not represent our Canada. It doesn’t have to be like this.” Unfortunately for May, this is the way it is and the results prove that change is highly unlikely. Voters need look no further than the Conservative government, which has been running an endless string of nasty attack ads targeting the Liberal Party and its leader Michael Ignatieff for proof that, repugnant as it might be, hammering home a negative message works. The Liberals are not immune, nor are the NDP, but it’s the ruling party that has come out swinging most often and most aggressively.
The list of Conservative Party ads focused specifically on Ignatieff, even though the country is not yet in the throes of an election, is long. There is the “he didn’t come back for you” series, pounding Ignatieff’s 2005 return to Canada after teaching and working in different countries for almost two decades. There has been the “Yes, yes, yes,” ads, turning an exuberant statement by Ignatieff into a negative context. And there have been the repeated ads stating that during the notorious fiscal update that forced Prime Minister Stephen Harper to prorogue Parliament in 2008, Ignatieff was ready to form a coalition “with separatists and socialists,” even though he was not party leader at the time.
What you never see is the unenigmatic Harper flaunting the successes of his own government. Why? Because the polls show that attack ads work. A Nanos Research poll conducted in late February for the Globe and Mail and CTV found support for Harper’s Conservative government soared 13 points ahead of the Liberal Party in late February; in January the parties had been statistically tied. The most telling statistic in the poll — support for Ignatieff as leader — dropped 13.6 per cent mere weeks after the “didn’t come back for you” ads ran. Nanos president Nik Nanos was even quoted as saying, “The negative attack ads launched by the Conservatives did their job.”
In an ideal world, political party leaders would put their policies to the public, who would subsequently vote for the party with the ideas that resonate best with them. But with political apathy growing, as demonstrated by the strong downturn in voter turnout in the last few elections, the public is more inclined to let politicians shape the message. Casting judgment after viewing an attack ad is easier than picking apart whether or not it’s right or wrong. Going on the offensive can be a quick political win, but it can easily backfire on politicians at every level and even contribute to voter apathy.
So while we applaud May for her intentions, the reality is much harsher than she and her party seem to understand. Cleaning up the airwaves and Parliament is a laudable goal, but with no seats in the House of Commons and a track record of coming up just short, the Green Party has a little more work just when it comes to getting elected.
