OTTAWA — The NDP is the first party to launch an attack ad against Pierre Poilievre, launching an attempt to portray the new Conservative leader as “not for you” just as the fall session of Parliament begins.
The ad, sent to party donors on Tuesday and set to roll out on social media on Tuesday, asks: “Who is the real Pierre Poilievre?” while showing the Conservative leader in his pensive pose that became famous in his own advertisements for the Conservative leadership.
The 30-second video then contrasts the Conservative leader’s claim that he is fighting for ordinary Canadians with his voting record.
The video claims that Poilievre is a “friend of big business and the corporate elite”, adding that the new leader of the Official Opposition has “received significant contributions from those who profited from the housing crisis”.
NDP communications director Melanie Richer told CTV News the ad is an effort to stop Poilievre from redefining himself as the leader who stands up for working-class Canadians. At the height of the affordability crisis, it’s a position the NDP has always played, but it’s now the brass ring that all parties seem to be reaching for.
The ad ends by saying that Poilievre twice voted against establishing a federal minimum wage.
“If the election is ‘anyone but Trudeau,’ we think we can beat him (Poilievre) fighting for the people,” Richer said.
CTV News has contacted Poilievre’s office for comment.