A Letter to Mr. Ignatieff: It's time to get personal against attack ads

Mr. Ignatieff,

On the Liberal campaign trail in Winnipeg there is one thing that we are hearing consistently: Canadians are sick and tired of attack ads. They hate them.

It disrupts governance, creates an atmosphere of constant electioneering, and is just plain un-Canadian. And yet, they persist through this election. An election that is being held because the governing party was found to be committing perjury in the House of Commons. A party that has proven to be ^NOT concerned with formal rules, conventions, or courtesy.

No one knows this more than you, Mr. Ignatieff. Stephane Dion surely knows it. And to a certain extent, Stephen Harper himself. (But hey, Steve's motto has got to be "If you cannot beat 'em, join 'em.") Kim Campbell did it. Chretien did it. Martin and Mulroney. They all have! And we are tired of it.

My question to you, sir, is this: will you propose reform to pre-writ election advertising? Put a ceiling on what parties can spend during session on partisan ads on radio, TV, and internet.

Moreover, will you propose instituting a US-style "I endorse this message" closing line on each and every political ad on the radio or television, so voters can hear from the mouth of the party leader that they are willing to stand behind their personal attacks?

In essence, I'm asking you to make Canada aware of Senator Dennis Dawson's bill S-227 An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (election expenses) and to put it at the top of your party's list of parliamentary reforms.

The only reason Harper can shrug off ALL of these attacks against you is because he doesn't really have to get up there and say them himself. A voice on a TV or radio will do that for him and he can act like "the party" is doing something that the "prime minister" is not.

I believe that proposing these kinds of reforms would be extremely popular with everyday Canadians. I believe people could go to the polls and vote for you because you're willing to put up or shut up. Canadians want some peace and quiet during parliament. They don't want to hear attack ads and party messages every other week! Granted, most of it comes from the Conservatives. And guess what -- even CONSERVATIVES are sick of it! It's exhausting. And the party that proposes to give Canadians some relief will be rewarded.

It's time to get personal against attack ads and propose legislation to curb this dreadful behavior that no one likes. It could very well be the game-changer progressives need.

Signed,
Dylan