Spot Check: A regular look at the latest campaign ads

By Shannon Proudfoot
Canwest News Service

Screen grab of the NDP spot "strong on health care". (Canwest News Service)

NDP

The Spot: "Strong on Health Care"     

The plot: Using the same graphic style and drum soundtrack as the other NDP ads, this one accuses Prime Minister Stephen Harper of leaving millions of Canadians without a family doctor or access to medication and early detection. NDP Leader Jack Layton appears at the end, touting his party's health care plans.     

The bottom line: "If that's Harper's idea of strong leadership, we need a new kind of strong."     

The message:

"It's not about the Conservatives. It's not about the NDP. It's about Stephen versus Jack," says Gordon McMillan, president of Ottawa-based marketing agency McMillan.

"It spends most of its energy blasting Harper based on the dubious statement that Harper 'says it's OK that nearly five million Canadians don't have a family doctor.'"     

"Health care is a topic that ranks near the top in voters' minds, including my own. It's good that the NDP points out weaknesses in health care under the Conservatives," says Jeff Musson, a 35-year-old Windsor, Ont., voter and small business owner of Dynamite Network Solutions, an IT company.     

The review:

"The militaristic drum track makes you pay attention and realize this is serious stuff," says McMillan.

"By using still cut-outs of Harper and live footage of Layton, there's a sense that Harper is two-dimensional, while Jack is, quite literally, the life of the New Democratic Party."     

"What this ad fails to do is tell exactly what the NDP plan is related to health care.  We need specifics," says Musson.

"They just say that they have a plan to hire more doctors and nurses; a plan for essential medications. This is not good enough, in most people's minds. They want to hear what the NDP will do to fix the problem."     

"Claims are made in the ad without any substantiation," says Jonathan Rose, a professor of political studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

"In a 30-second spot, there is not enough time to discuss the plan to train new doctors and nurses. Claims without evidence have less weight than those that do."