Conservatives, NDP both centre Poilievre in pitches to unionized voters

Federal Conservatives and New Democrats agree on very little, but one point of consensus has emerged in recent months — labour issues will play a key role in the next federal election.

Both parties have launched television ads that attempt to define Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre to union voters, a group politicians see as having increased sway in the next federal election.

The commercial the New Democrats launched across the country last week is clearly targeted at its traditional base of rank-and-file union members. It features labour leaders describing Poilievre as a career politician who “has never been a worker and never stood with workers.” Images include shots of party Leader Jagmeet Singh on picket lines in various locales throughout the country.

The Conservatives countered that attack on Monday by releasing an ad of their own. Theirs argues Poilievre will bring a new beginning, “where hard work is rewarded, where there’s affordable food, and a home in a safe neighbourhood where everyone gets a fair shot at a good life.”

After showing images of late night workers such as nurses, servers and truckers, the Conservative party ad closes with a tag line: “after the night, no matter how long or dark, comes morning” as Poilievre appears on screen, smiling in a field at dawn. They also launched an accompanying radio ad attacking Singh for keeping his supply-and-confidence agreement with the minority government.

Both messages appeared to resonate with attendees at Toronto’s annual Labour Day parade, where participants said they’ll be paying attention to promises and actions from both sides.

Workers have been hearing a lot of talk from politicians lately, said Lily Chang, secretary-treasurer at Canadian Labour Congress, but what