New Tory attack ads against Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion are on the horizon, according to a news report.
The new TV spots have already been filmed and will be run during the two-week break for Parliament beginning next week, the Globe and Mail reported Friday.
The federal Tories are expected to launch a second round of attack ads against Stéphane Dion, seen here on March 20 asking questions in the House of Commons about the federal budget.
(Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
The ads are still in the editing phase, said the report, which quotes sources saying the Conservative ads will condemn Dion for his party's move to vote against last week's federal budget.
A first round of attack ads in late January associated Dion with the sponsorship scandal and painted the former environment minister as ineffectual. The ads used clips from Liberal leadership debates in which Dion was criticized by rival candidate Michael Ignatieff. The ads charged that greenhouse gas emissions went up and air quality went down under Dion's watch.
The report said the party is also considering similar ads targeting the Bloc Québécois. Quebec cabinet members are apparently pushing for an election, saying the province is ready to go Tory.
Conservative members are split over whether the government should force an election by provoking its own defeat.
There has been much speculation about increased Conservative support in light of the strong showing by the Action Démocratique Quebec in Quebec's election on Monday. The right-wing ADQ, led by Mario Dumont, won 41 seats in the election, channelling votes away from both the Liberals and the separatist Parti Québécois.
Federal Tory campaign chief John Reynolds stoked election predictions on Thursday by saying the federal government could fall within the next two weeks should the Liberals vote against some crime bills.
