The Conservatives have rolled out a new ad aimed at giving Prime Minister Stephen Harper a softer image as the Liberals end their caucus meeting early to prepare for an election call.
Leader Stephane Dion had been scheduled to give a speech in Winnipeg on Thursday morning, but it was cancelled. Party MPs have headed to the airport in advance of an election that most expect will be called Sunday.
Sources have said that Harper will meet with Governor General Michaelle Jean on Sunday morning and ask her to dissolve Parliament. The election is expected to be set for Oct. 14.
The Tories don't appear to be waiting for an official election call to get their message out. In their latest ads, a smiling Harper talks to Canadians about immigration and immigrants. He also salutes veterans in others. All of the ads end with the text "We're better off with Harper."
"The ads were shot at Harrington Lake over the summer," CTV's Rosemary Thompson told Newsnet on Thursday. "He's got his sweater on and he's sitting beside the fireplace. They're very positive ads and they're the second wave of ads we've seen this week."
For months, the Tories have been running attack ads against Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, so this is a change of pace, she said.
The Tories have benefited from strong fundraising. They have more money than they can legally spend during the election campaign, so they can afford to run ads in this pre-writ period, Thompson said.
The ads fill the role of allowing Canadians to get to know Harper a bit better, she said, noting that the prime minister is by nature a very private person.
"In one of the ads, he's talking about love of family," he said. "It's a very rare glimpse of Stephen Harper."
Thompson said the ads may also be designed to raise Harper's appeal among women, as his ratings are much higher with men.
