Yikes! Conservatives Called Their Own Trudeau Attack Ad ‘Dumb’

Canada is officially in a federal election campaign, and that means we’re about to be bombarded with poorly thought-out ads.

The Conservatives have kicked things off with a strong contender—an attack ad that compares Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Veruca Salt, the bratty girl from the 1971 classic film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. 

In the movie, Salt insists she wants a golden goose while visiting the factory, and then breaks into song demanding the “whole works” while destroying things. 

The Conservatives’ version starts with a kid glumly saying, “Here we go again,” which is exactly how someone watching this ad may feel.

Trudeau’s cutout face is (shoddily) plastered onto Salt’s body, but he wants a majority government, not a golden goose. The ad shows Trudeau destroying the economy and a balanced budget and calling for higher taxes. 

It ends somewhat abruptly with Salt/Trudeau singing, “Don’t care how, I want a majority.” The “majority” bit is dubbed—badly. 

On Twitter, some Conservatives called the ad “embarrassing” and “dumb.” 

On Monday morning, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole released an ad announcing “Canada’s recovery plan,” which he billed as a plan to rebuild the economy. 

The announcement was also made in a magazine featuring O’Toole on the cover with a tightly fitted navy t-shirt tucked into jeans. 

Trudeau’s Liberals have also released a series of TV ads lauding the party’s pandemic response. Canada has one of most vaccinated populations in the world. 

The election is slated for September 20. 

A Nanos Research survey from Thursday shows 33 percent of Canadians would vote for the Liberals if there were an election now, while 28 percent would vote Conservative. 

Update: As of Tuesday, the Conservatives’ ad had been removed from Twitter in response to a complaint over copyright.

Follow Manisha Krishnan on Twitter.