“This is what is happening to millions of Canadians in 10 years under Stephen Harper,” says Mr. Trudeau as he tries to walk up the down escalator
Justin Trudeau is walking up a down escalator – an obvious metaphor for what the Liberal Leader warns is happening to the economy under Stephen Harper and the Conservatives, and what could happen if the NDP and Thomas Mulcair win government.
Called "Escalator: Harder to get ahead", it is the Liberals' latest 30-second television ad, building on what they say was a runaway success with their earlier ad addressing the Conservatives' charge that Mr. Trudeau is "not ready" to govern.
The Liberal timing is good; the ad was launched as new economic data was released Tuesday, showing Canada experienced a recession this year.
"This is what is happening to millions of Canadians in 10 years under Stephen Harper," Mr. Trudeau says as he tries to walk up the down escalator. "His idea to give benefits to the wealthy, but make cuts to everything else, has made it harder for most people to get ahead."
Click here to watch Justin Trudeau's new campaign ad
At this point, the escalator stops dramatically. We see Mr. Trudeau's shoes on the steps, then he continues, this time taking aim at the NDP Leader: "And Mulcair promises more cuts. Now is not the time for cuts," he says.
The escalator reverses course, allowing Mr. Trudeau to walk up the steps as he says: "In my plan, we will kick-start the economy by investing in jobs and growth and lowering taxes for our middle-class."
The ad was shot in Toronto a couple of days ago, and was released as a fundraising tool Tuesday. Potential donors were promised a sneak peek at the ad: "… how many Canadians hear our message depends on what you do right now," the fundraising letter said.
A senior Liberal strategist told The Globe and Mail the new ad has "tested very well." He called the "not ready" ad "the most successful ad we've ever run."
It showed Mr. Trudeau walking with Parliament Hill in the background, saying he is "not ready to watch hard-working Canadians lose jobs and fall further behind." The Globe's Adam Radwanski wrote about the ad last month. According to Innovative Research Group, which has been testing voters' reactions to campaign advertising, the ad "appears to be one of the most effective ads run by any of the parties thus far in the runup to the Oct. 19 vote," he wrote.
The Liberal strategist, meanwhile, said the "not ready" ad "answered the question decisively for the audiences where it ran heavily." As a result, the party has bought extra national time for it "because of its performance in southern Ontario."
So the plan is for the "not ready" ad to continue to run as this new ad is launched.
National public opinion polls are showing the parties in a competitive three-way battle as leaders begin their second month of campaigning. The economy is the big issue. Mr. Trudeau and his team have carved out a strategy on the economy, saying they will run small deficits to stimulate the economy by doubling infrastructure spending over the next 10 years.
Mr. Trudeau's plan has been mocked by Mr. Harper. The NDP is vowing, like the Conservatives, to bring in balanced budgets.