The Liberal Party of Canada has launched attack ads targeting18 Prairie ridings that have a large Ukrainian diaspora community and are held by Conservative MPs, as Liberals accuse their political rivals of turning their backs on Ukraine. People take part in a rally in support of Ukraine and against the Russian invasion, in Edmonton on Sunday February 27, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
OTTAWA – The Liberals have been accusing the Conservatives of “turning their backs on Ukraine,” and now the party is making that argument in attack ads running in more than a dozen Prairie ridings that are home to large Ukrainian communities.
The newspaper ads appearing in 18 Conservative-held ridings say Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party are abandoning Ukraine because they voted against a bill to implement a modernized trade deal with the war-torn country.
The Conservatives, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Liberal ad campaign, have repeatedly voiced support for Ukraine, but say they oppose the bill over language in the trade deal that promotes carbon pricing.
The Liberals have framed the trade agreement as an opportunity to help boost economic prospects for Ukraine, which like Canada already has a price on pollution.
A Liberal party spokesman says the ads form the first newspaper campaign the party has launched in a year.
Carlene Variyan, a Liberal strategist and former staffer, says it’s a huge policy shift for the Tories to oppose the updated trade deal, noting that Ukrainian Canadians have historically been among the strongest supporters of the Conservatives.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2023.
