The NDP has posted new web ads (that may appear on TV), which talk about working together under the title of leadership. So, does this mean Layton’s voting for the budget? See for yourself.
In the first ad, Layton talks about his father, a Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, who taught him the value of working together.
The second ad, in which Layton says that they can’t fix every problem, is probably of more interest to those trying to read the electoral tea leaves.
Dissecting these ads further, I can see that they were filmed in front of the green-screen in the refurbished NDP war room; you can tell they’re really low-budget as a result. Aside from that, I’m a little disturbed by some of the language in the intro clips. In the first, a guy says, “Before I choose a leader…” Voters don’t choose leaders here in the same way that Americans elect a president. We vote for an MP to form a government in the House of Commons. In the second ad, a woman says, “Of course I want Ottawa to start working for me…” Only for her, not the rest of the country? It’s language that makes me uncomfortable; it seems to confuse both the role of Parliament and what the core of an MP’s job is – to hold a government to account.
Oh, but apparently elections (or a pre-writ period) are not the time to discuss either serious policy or how our system of democracy works.
Why you can trust Xtra
