Derek Demers is not looking forward to more attack ads before Canada’s federal election this autumn. “I find them unbelievable down in the states, what they throw at each other,” says the retired software salesman in Calgary, who has mostly voted Conservative but for this election is considering other parties. “It’s pretty tiring. They can be creative, but they can be demeaning.” Canada’s election is four months away, yet voters are already getting their share of such US-style ads through third-party campaigns by political action committees that show a similar US influence.
The fundraising bodies are taking advantage of the country’s first fixed election under a law passed by the Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper. While their campaigns are still on a much smaller scale than the US, where an estimated $3.4bn will be spent on political ads during the 2016 election cycle, Canadian groups are growing and learning.
“The fixed election date does allow for this sort of planning. It enables groups like this to exist,” said Stephen Taylor, a spokesman for a new group called Harper PAC, which launched last week to defend Mr Harper and attack his opponents, only to close within days after unhappiness from Mr Harper and his cabinet.
Full Article: Canada braced for US-style attack ads – FT.com.