The NDP are hoping to get by with a little help from mocking some of Stephen Harper’s friends.
A new attack ad uploaded by the party on Monday repurposes six-year-old footage of Harper singing the Beatles classic, “With a Little Help from My Friends." The clip flips through news headlines of legal trouble that has dogged the Conservatives over the past year.
“How do I feel by the end of the day,” Harper sings while photos of his former chief of staff Nigel Wright, former senior aide Bruce Carson, ex-MP Dean Del Mastro, and Pamela Wallin flash by.
“I feel sad because you’re on your own,” Harper’s backup singers croon to him at a 2009 charity gala at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre.
It was a performance regarded by some academics as a breakout moment that helped to soften Harper’s public image.
The 30-second ad wraps up with an old photo of the Conservative leader and Mike Duffy emblazoned with a Global News headline announcing the 31 counts of fraud against the suspended senator.
Two lines of text close the ad, “With friends like these, it’s no wonder Canadians want change in Ottawa.”
The party’s latest attack comes after a series of polls suggest Canadians want a change in Ottawa, with some even forecasting an NDP minority government.
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Mulcair said, “The NDP is determined to fix the mess caused by the Conservatives.”
New Tory ad: Harper ‘isn’t perfect’
The day before the NDP released their “friends” ad, the Conservative Party released a 30-second spot of their own with a relatively unexpected line: “Stephen Harper isn’t perfect.”
It’s a line that signals the beginning of a new strategy from the party in the unofficial second half of a marathon election campaign.
The Conservative leader repeated it a second time during a one-on-one interview with CBC’s Peter Mansbridge on Monday.
“I’m not perfect but ah you know, I’m dedicated to my country, I love my country,” Harper said.
UPDATE - Sept. 11, 2015: The ad has since been taken down due to a copyright claim by Sony ATV Publishing.
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