New Tory ad calls Wynne ‘untrustworthy’
Deputy premier Matthews slams it as ‘very unsavoury strategy based on a lie’
The Progressive Conservatives have unleashed a new attack ad against “untrustworthy” Premier Kathleen Wynne that accuses the governing Liberals of being corrupt.
Released Sept. 13, the U.S.-style spot features a grim-faced Wynne against a red and black backdrop as an ominous true-crime soundtrack plays.
Complete with sound effects reminiscent of jail cell doors being clanked shut, the ad splashes headlines critical of the Liberals from the Star and other news outlets.
“Kathleen Wynne is untrustworthy,” intones the male narrator in the 30-second commercial that is airing on numerous channels in prime time and on CP24 around the clock.
“The Liberal party is politically corrupt. From the gas-plant rip-off and eHealth billions to their cash-foraccess fundraising scheme,” he continues.
That’s a reference to former premier Dalton McGuinty’s decision to cancel two gas-fired power plants in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 election, problems at the electronic health records agency, and political fundraising changes triggered by a Star probe last year.
“Now the premier is testifying at a bribery trial. Just imagine what’s next,” the narrator says.
While the ad boasts a small Ontario PC logo, there is no mention of Tory Leader Patrick Brown or the fact that the next election is on June 7, 2018.
Wynne is threatening to sue Brown for defamation after he incorrectly claimed on Sept. 12 that she was on “trial” in the Sudbury byelection bribery case.
On the eve of her taking the stand as aCrown witness, the Tory leader said Ontario had “a sitting premier sitting in trial” and that she “stands trial.”
But Patricia Sorbara, the premier’s former deputy chief of staff, and Liberal activist Gerry Lougheed are on trial — not Wynne — for alleged Election Act violations related to the 2015 byelection. Both deny any wrongdoing.
Deputy premier Deb Matthews expressed concern Wednesday that the Tory ad spots coincided with his controversial comments about the premier.
“It is looking like this is part of a strategy — a very unsavoury strategy based on a lie,” Matthews said.
Brown insisted the advertising had nothing to do with his statement about Wynne.
“That’s a leap and a stretch — it’s not a reality,” he told the Star, adding he will continue to ignore the premier’s “baseless legal threat.”
The PC leader also defended the hard-hitting TV spots, which are airing at the same time as the criminal trial of ex-McGuinty aides David Livingston and Laura Miller. They have pleaded not guilty.
“We’re going to continue to have an assortment of ads. Some of them will be about my approach and some, frankly, will be about the Liberal legacy — the record after 14 long years,” Brown said.
“Obviously there’s a lot of scandals that swirl around this government.”