The Conservatives are moving left.
How Patrick Brown’s new Ontario PC ads take a page from Kathleen Wynne - The Globe and Mail
Home - The Globe and Mail
“It may surprise you to hear me say this: I think Kathleen Wynne is a good person,” he begins. “But I strongly disagree with her plan to sell Hydro One.”
After a few more words about how the privatization plan will drive up electricity prices, the scene switches to Mr. Brown strolling down a leafy residential street in Etobicoke.
“Like many of you, I thought Kathleen Wynne might be different. But the truth is, the Liberals just aren’t in it for you any more,” he finishes.
Mr. Brown likes Ms. Wynne so much, in fact, his hydro ad borrows from her once again. The street scene is similar to a pair of spots Ms. Wynne appeared in during the spring of 2014, in which she was filmed walking through a suburb speaking into the camera about the PCs and New Democrats.
The PC leader’s ads are a sharp contrast to those of his predecessor. Tim Hudak favoured fast cuts, frantic violins, high-contrast shots of city skylines and footage of himself speaking confidently in the legislature. Subtlety was not the name of the game. (One attack ad, for instance, showed a massive red “CANCELLED” stamp over top a picture of a gas plant.) The dramatic tone fit perfectly with his penchant for bold policy prescriptions, such as slashing the size of the public sector and battling organized labour.
Mr. Brown’s kinder, gentler approach is part of his attempt to sand off the party’s sharper edges to broaden its appeal. His ads also try to head off the Liberals’ attempts to cast him as a radical right-winger and social conservative. Hence the shot of the Pride parade. Hence the counterintuitive decision to praise Ms. Wynne and identify with moderate voters who might have supported her in last year’s election.
Whether this strategy will work remains to be seen. For now, the ads are online only. And three years from the next election, none of the parties has yet launched any serious salvos in the air war.
But in the race to define the PC party before 2018, Mr. Brown is looking to be first out of the blocks.
How Patrick Brown’s new Ontario PC ads take a page from Kathleen Wynne - The Globe and Mail
How Patrick Brown’s new Ontario PC ads take a page from Kathleen Wynne - The Globe and Mail
Home - The Globe and Mail
“It may surprise you to hear me say this: I think Kathleen Wynne is a good person,” he begins. “But I strongly disagree with her plan to sell Hydro One.”
After a few more words about how the privatization plan will drive up electricity prices, the scene switches to Mr. Brown strolling down a leafy residential street in Etobicoke.
“Like many of you, I thought Kathleen Wynne might be different. But the truth is, the Liberals just aren’t in it for you any more,” he finishes.
Mr. Brown likes Ms. Wynne so much, in fact, his hydro ad borrows from her once again. The street scene is similar to a pair of spots Ms. Wynne appeared in during the spring of 2014, in which she was filmed walking through a suburb speaking into the camera about the PCs and New Democrats.
The PC leader’s ads are a sharp contrast to those of his predecessor. Tim Hudak favoured fast cuts, frantic violins, high-contrast shots of city skylines and footage of himself speaking confidently in the legislature. Subtlety was not the name of the game. (One attack ad, for instance, showed a massive red “CANCELLED” stamp over top a picture of a gas plant.) The dramatic tone fit perfectly with his penchant for bold policy prescriptions, such as slashing the size of the public sector and battling organized labour.
Mr. Brown’s kinder, gentler approach is part of his attempt to sand off the party’s sharper edges to broaden its appeal. His ads also try to head off the Liberals’ attempts to cast him as a radical right-winger and social conservative. Hence the shot of the Pride parade. Hence the counterintuitive decision to praise Ms. Wynne and identify with moderate voters who might have supported her in last year’s election.
Whether this strategy will work remains to be seen. For now, the ads are online only. And three years from the next election, none of the parties has yet launched any serious salvos in the air war.
But in the race to define the PC party before 2018, Mr. Brown is looking to be first out of the blocks.
How Patrick Brown’s new Ontario PC ads take a page from Kathleen Wynne - The Globe and Mail
