Working Families Coalition targets Patrick Brown in new attack ad

A union-backed campaign to keep the Progressive Conservatives out of power in Ontario kicks off today with the launch of a new attack ad portraying Patrick Brown as an untrustworthy flip-flopper.

The ad by the Working Families Coalition shows an image of Brown as a weather vane atop Queen's Park, with dark storm clouds and flashes of lightning in the background.

"Patrick Brown will say anything to get elected," declares the ad. "He just blows with the winds of political opportunity."

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The ad contrastsBrown's statements as PC leader with his voting record in Ottawa, where he served nine years as an MP under the Conservative government of Stephen Harper.

"He now says he's pro-choice, but when it counted, Patrick Brown hada 100 per cent pro-life voting record," says the ad, as the weather vane flips from pointing east to pointing west. "He now says he supports equal marriage, but when it counted, he voted against it."

The ad is the latest in a spurt of TV commercials timed to air beforeNov. 9, when a new rulekicks in that limits spending during thesix-month period ahead of the election campaign. The new limits were introduced by the Kathleen Wynnegovernment and became law last year.

All groups that are not registered political partieswillbe limited tospending $600,000 from Nov. 9 toMay 9, then $100,000 during the four-week campaignleading to election day on June 7.

The Working Families Coalitionspent $2.5 million during the 2014 campaignon ads attacking Tim Hudak, the then-leader of the PCs.

The political parties are also limited in their ad spending during the six-month pre-election period. That's why the PCs have hit the airwaves with these ads and the Liberals with ones like this:

Theprovince isbanned from running government-funded advertising for three months leading toelection day, except urgent public service ads.

Working Families has been creating and airing attack ads against the PCs since the 2003 election,andthe PCs haveslammedthem as a Liberal front group ever since.

The group's efforts have meant the Liberals haven't had to spend precious campaign dollars on attack ads targeting the opposition and have instead focused on ads promoting their own party and leader.

The PCs might get some help this time around. A group called Ontario Proud, dedicated to knocking Kathleen Wynnefrom power, has concentrated its efforts on social media, amassing some 250,000 followers on Facebook.

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