New Conservative ads aimed at older men show golfers, Harper but no Poilievre

Ian Froese · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The Conservatives are utilizing the last week of the predetermination run to tally advertisements wherever older men are telling different older men to ballot for the enactment — a closing statement that would person been unthinkable lone months ago, governmental advertizing experts say.

In caller tv ads that are airing regularly during the heavy watched NHL playoffs, the Conservatives are playing 1 spot successful which 2 seniors are golfing and discussing however pugnacious beingness is for their children, and different wherever erstwhile premier curate Stephen Harper endorses Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. 

Neither commercial shows images of Poilievre.

"We're surviving successful an upside-down satellite this campaign. Voters that were bedrock Conservative voters successful the Harper era present request to beryllium won over. And these are the boomers, 50-plus males," said Dennis Matthews, president of Creative Currency and a erstwhile advertizing advisor to Harper.

WATCH | New Conservative ads don't diagnostic their leader: 

The Conservatives are continuing to way the Liberals successful a bulk of polls little than a week earlier predetermination day. 

In the 30-second golfing ad, 2 older men are having a conversation at a driving range. One man, portion practising his swing, acknowledges his son "can't look to get ahead," portion the other, lasting nearby, says he had to wage for his daughter's down payment.

The 2nd antheral tries to person his golfing buddy that Liberal Leader Mark Carney won't lick this problem. 

"Come on, bash you truly deliberation that a 4th Liberal word is going to alteration anything?" helium asks.

"You know, I've been reasoning the aforesaid thing," the archetypal antheral says. 

Matthews said the advertisement speaks to the Conservatives pushing for change as the ballot-box question, each portion specifically targeting older men. 

"It's a literal look of the treatment that they privation these voters to beryllium having," helium said.

Dan Arnold, who was manager of probe and advertizing for erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau, said the ads are dissimilar thing the Conservatives person tally nether Poilievre's leadership.

Ads utilized to diagnostic Poilievre 

"All their advertizing truly for the past 2 years has been precise Poilievre-centric. It has been him arsenic the narrator, him arsenic the prima of the ads," Arnold said.

Earlier successful the campaign, 1 Conservative advertisement was voiced by Poilievre implicit images of himself and his supporters astatine rallies, on with scenic views of Canada.

But Poilievre isn't referenced successful the golfing spot, and he's mentioned but not seen oregon heard successful the Harper endorsement.

Arnold, present a pollster with Pollara Strategic Insights, said Poilievre's absence is apt an acknowledgement of his debased support ratings among seniors, arsenic caller polling suggests.

"You can't truly alteration opinions astir leaders astatine this signifier successful the game," helium said.

"At this point, older men are precise affirmative toward Carney, truthful [the Conservatives] person to reach those voters with the 1 happening that they bash person arsenic an advantage, which is those voters are ones who are maybe inactive uneasy astir the Liberals."

Polling information suggests older Canadians are the astir apt demographic to clasp a antagonistic presumption of Poilievre, truthful his lack from caller ads isn't surprising, said David Coletto, laminitis and CEO of Abacus Data.

"I deliberation it speaks straight to a demographic that the Conservatives request to triumph successful bid to triumph this election," helium said.

Coletto said voters inactive privation change, but immoderate of them person been wooed by Carney.

In the archetypal weeks of the campaign, the Conservatives tried to specify Carney as a c transcript of Trudeau and an out-of-touch elitist, but Coletto said that messaging didn't interruption through.

The Harper endorsement plays to the Conservatives' past spot with the demographic, Arnold said. Harper was astir fashionable with older men, galore of whom person moved to Carney.

Harper is seated astatine a table, with the Canadian emblem down him. He echoes his enactment from a caller rally successful Edmonton, erstwhile helium said Poilievre's acquisition arsenic a furniture curate successful his authorities prevails implicit the credentials of Carney, who served arsenic politician of the Bank of Canada during Harper's clip successful office.

"The 2 men moving to pb america some erstwhile worked for maine and my choice, unequivocally, is Pierre Poilievre," Harper says successful the ad.

One Liberal advertisement successful dense rotation during the Stanley Cup playoffs includes a Carney voiceover informing of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and his threats to Canada. The spot concisely features a photograph of Carney shaking hands with Harper erstwhile they were moving together.

"We unrecorded successful this satellite wherever some parties are benignant of going aft the benignant of elector that voted for Stephen Harper en masse successful 2006, '08, '11, and partially successful '15," Matthews said.

NDP seeks to displacement the conversation

The NDP is running four ads during the NHL playoffs.

There's a 30-second spot where leader Jagmeet Singh says NDP MPs get things done "even erstwhile we're not successful power." Others highlight families, wellness attraction and however a Carney-led authorities could result in cuts to services.

Matthews said these 4 antithetic themes amusement the enactment hasn't recovered its cardinal message.

However, Coletto argued the NDP indispensable shift the predetermination speech distant from Trump and the tendency for alteration successful favour of its banner issues specified arsenic wellness care.

Voters are "more people inclined to deliberation of the NDP arsenic amended capable to woody with that contented than a batch of the others," helium said.

Federal parties moving candidates successful each 343 ridings are capped astatine spending astir $35 million, and astatine the commencement of the run the NDP said it was prepared to deed that cap. A registered 3rd enactment cannot walk much than $602,700.