As footage of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau getting into a heated exchange with a unionized steelworker garnered thousands of views, the Conservative Party of Canada released a new ad aimed at expanding its effort to connect with working-class Canadians.
Composed of a video and radio advertisement, the “Dark to Dawn” campaign hones in on unions increasingly backing leader Pierre Poilievre’s common sense approach to policy and attacks NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Trudeau.
The ad will be broadcast in both French and English. It acknowledges the contributions of Canadians who start their workday early and “carry the government on their backs.”
“A country is built by the people who rise when it is still dark—the servers and soldiers, the farmers and factory workers, the nurses and night shift workers,” said Poilievre in the ad.
“Now, you pay more to bring home less, if you can afford a home at all. Many live in fear of crime and chaos.”
In the video, Poilievre commits to affordable food and safe affordable housing.
“The ad campaign will run coast to coast and will start with a ‘Dark to Dawn’ ad in French and English highlighting the extraordinary Canadians who rise when it’s still dark and who carry the government on their shoulders, as well as a radio ad pointing out Jagmeet Singh’s hypocrisy for delaying the election so he can qualify for a $2.2 million pension and continue living his luxury lifestyle on the taxpayers’ dime,” wrote the Conservatives in a press release.
Poilievre has positioned himself as a pro-worker advocate, recently earning the title of “friend of the UA” from the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry at a recent banquet.
Over the weekend, Trudeau faced a heated confrontation during a visit to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. During a photo op at Algoma Steel, an unidentified steelworker lashed out at Trudeau, expressing frustration over high taxes and lack of healthcare access for workers.
The exchange, captured on video, has been widely circulated online.
“What about the 40% taxes I am paying? And I don’t have a doctor,” said the Algoma Steel worker during the exchange.
Trudeau touted his government’s achievements including new tariffs and the Liberal government’s dental care plan.
“I don’t believe you, not for a second,” said the worker.
The NDP also launched a new ad last week, criticizing Poilievre because he “has never been a worker and never stood with workers” and portraying Singh as an ally of unions.
“I don’t think Pierre can go to a picket line because I think he knows he won’t be welcome at a picket line because Piere has never been a worker,” Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, says in the NDP ad.
