10-03-2008
SPOT CHECK: A regular look at the latest election campaign ads
Canwest News Service
Green Party leader Elizabeth May speaks about the economy in one of her "moving train" election ads. (Green Party of Canada/You Tube) Green party
The spot: "Elizabeth May on the Economy"
The plot: The Greens released their first-ever TV ads as a set of five, all with the same low-budget look of a single camera filming leader Elizabeth May speaking on topics ranging from democracy to nature while the Canadian landscape whizzes past her train window. The economy ad focuses on the close ties between the Canadian and U.S. economies and the need to shore up employment at home with local food and energy production.
The bottom line: "Let's invest in Canada to have Canadian workers making goods and services for Canadians. It makes us stronger."
The message: "It is trying to expand the knowledge of (the party) by saying it's not just environment, although they would say it's connected to everything," says Nelson Wiseman, a political scientist at the University of Toronto.
The review: "I thought the production values could have been better. There were a lot of dark, shady spots where you didn't see her face, so that wasn't well done. (The message) doesn't differentiate them. People identify the Green party not so much with what she was talking about and, if it does win anybody over, it won't be Conservatives, or very few. It will win over Liberal or NDP voters, people who aren't that attached."
Posted by: jgreen