Results: Political Attack Ads

In political campaigns, an attack ad is an advertisement whose message is meant as a personal attack against another candidate or political party. Attack ads often form part of negative campaigning or smear campaigns, and in large or well-financed campaigns, may be disseminated via mass media. Often the ad will simply make use of innuendo, based on opposition research. Have you ever seen or heard a political attack ad?

Canada is facing a federal election in October and the reigning Conservative Party is running a series of TV ads attacking Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. Do you find this type of polical advertising to be effectiive or offensive?

A group of grade 5 students in Ottawa have written to Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to complain about the ads. The idea came from the students themselves during a lesson on government last month. To the kids, the ads looked just like cyberbullying, which they'd learned about a couple of weeks earlier. The ads feature video of Trudeau doing a mock strip tease for a charity event, his head surrounded by fairy dust as a narrator sneeringly recounts his past experience as a camp counsellor and drama teacher. Do you think this was a good response from these children?

Some surveys in Canada indicate the current attack ads may be backfiring, making some voters angry with the Conservative Party. Has (or would) an attack ad ever change your mind about how you will cast your vote?