Editor: Let鈥檚 stop the endless attacks ads in Canadian politics.
As a young Canadian and as a concerned voter, I would like to see fewer attack ads created by the political parties of Canada and directed toward other candidates. Why can the parties not engage in civil debate instead?
Statistically, my generation of Canadians, aged 18-24, are the least active demographic in both voting and party activity. If political candidates really want support and attention from all citizens, including the young, they should do more to educate the public on what they can do for the people, and not just use attack ads on one another.
When attack ads are put on television, they rarely address or talk about any issues that Canadians deal with on a day-to-day basis. Instead, we see attacks like the Conservatives鈥� recent ad about Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. The ad talks about how Michael Ignatieff has been living and working in the U.S. and that he really doesn鈥檛 care about Canada unless he鈥檚 in office.
Instead of spending money to try and show how bad their opponents are, why don鈥檛 political parties try to show the public how their own policies can help Canadians? The NDP, for example, could have a short 30-second ad that could show how their party cares about the needs of young people, showing how they will create a plan to help university students with health care.
Politicians today are supposed to be role models for Canadian citizens, yet they still put out ads that attack one another rather than sitting down and debating vital issues.
Fear has become a common tool used by different parties to convince citizens to vote for them. One ad created by the Conservatives attacked the NDP leader Jack Layton, claiming he would form a coalition with the Bloc Quebecois.
His idea would bother many Canadians and the slogan: 鈥淛ack Layton, he鈥檚 done it before, he鈥檒l do it again, and Canada will pay the price,鈥� seems to have helped the approval rate for Conservatives.
As citizens, we need to demand more responsible and educational debate about real issues.
Kurt Renvall,
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
