N.S. election: Iain Rankin complains of ‘U.S.-style attack ads’ as opposition stands by them

Nova Scotia Liberal leader Iain Rankin has taken to social media to accuse the two other main party leaders of running “relentless U.S.-style attack ads” ahead of the 41st provincial election.

“As we emerge from COVID, voters want to know who has the best plan to lead our recovery, not who can sling the most mud,” he wrote on Twitter Thursday night.

Rankin made further comments during a campaign announcement Friday, saying he was “struck” by the negative advertisements.

“This is where the Conservatives and NDPs are spending their money and their focus, and I am focused on you,” he said.

The ads include one from the NDP saying Rankin is planning for $209 million in cuts to the provincial budget, which they said could lead to cuts in the health-care system.

The Progressive Conservatives, meanwhile, ran an ad focusing on Rankin’s two impaired driving charges and his party’s alleged treatment of former Dartmouth South candidate Robyn Ingraham, who accused the party of forcing her to drop out of the race over boudoir photos posted online.

Reached by email, the Liberals did not provide further details about what specifically Rankin took issue with.

Both the Progressive Conservatives and the NDP are defending their ads, with the PCs accusing Rankin of being “allergic to accountability.”

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“Of course Iain Rankin would rather Nova Scotians not hear the facts about the sexist double standards in his office or the facts about his government’s disastrous record on health care that has left over 71,000 Nova Scotians without a family doctor,” said an email sent Friday from the PC party campaign.

The statement noted that many questions about Rankin’s two impaired driving charges from the early 2000s remain.

Rankin was first convicted of driving under the influence in 2003. In 2005, he was charged again and was initially found guilty. He appealed that decision, and in 2007, the charges were dismissed.

“Yesterday, Rankin was on Global News denying he had been drinking before his second DUI even though the evidence of two breathalyzer tests along with testimony of an eyewitness and two Halifax police officers and the judgment of a Nova Scotia Provincial Court Justice all concluded that he was, in fact, intoxicated, the night he dangerously drove his car into a ditch,” said the PC party’s statement.

Meanwhile, the NDP said in a statement on Friday that it stood by its ad about the proposed budget cuts.

“Iain Rankin has said he plans to cut $209 million from the budget,” it said. “This is his record and it’s important people know what they’ll get if they vote for the Liberals.”

The Liberals, however, maintain there will be “no cuts to core services.”

It’s unclear what Rankin meant by specifying the ads were “U.S.-style.” However, it’s likely to be a reference to the tumultuous, polarizing American election campaign last year.

A 2016 paper published by Rhode Island University researchers suggests that positive political ads — those focusing on what a candidate can offer rather than their opponent’s perceived shortfalls — may resonate with voters more than negative ones.

“Our findings indicate that the only beneficial results from campaign advertising are generated from advertising a candidate’s strengths and that there are no benefits from attacking one’s opponent, even if the opponent has decided to ‘go on the attack,’” it said.

“To the extent that candidates wish to use advertising to increase their margin of victory, the only way to do so is to avoid attacking one’s opponent.”