CTVNEWS

English TV ads introduce NDP's Mulcair to Canadians

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Tuesday, April 10, 2012 9:59PM EDT

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The New Democrats are invoking Jack Layton's down-to-earth spirit in an advertisement introducing their new leader to Canadians.

Thomas Mulcair is painted as a crusader for ordinary Canadians in an English television advertisement released by the federal NDP on Tuesday.

Referring to himself as "Tom," Mulcair addresses viewers of the ad directly as he says "As a cabinet minister and as a member of Jack's team, I've always fought for you."

Much of the ad appears to focus on continuing the momentum the NDP experienced during the last federal election, as opposed to altering the party's core principles.

Change was a touchy subject during the party's seven-month leadership race, with NDP delegates torn between candidates who wanted to keep the party firmly on the left and others who supported a slight shift to the centre of the political spectrum.

During the contest, Mulcair had said that he wanted to reach out beyond the party&apos;s traditional base and draw in fresh support. His rivals warned against his campaign, saying Mulcair would lead the party away from its roots. However, there was no mention of drastic change in the new advertisement. On the contrary, the ad drives home the idea of finishing the work that Layton started. Layton&apos;s widow, NDP MP Olivia Chow, even makes a cameo at one point to assure viewers that, "Jack&apos;s vision is in good hands." The start of the video is peppered with supportive comments from average men and women, most of whom are shown carrying out a task before they address the audience. "He&apos;ll fight for my family," a young mother says while putting groceries into the trunk of her car as her child looks on. "He cares if I can make ends meet," says an apparent tradesman who is shown carrying a toolbox. "And find a good job," adds a woman on a bicycle, invoking Layton&apos;s unwavering support for bike lanes as a Toronto city councillor. "He&apos;ll take on (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper," says a woman wearing hospital scrubs while toting a clipboard. "And win," adds a jogger in the middle of a run. The reference to Harper taps into the popular image of Mulcair as someone who has the potential to lead the NDP into power, said CTV News Channel&apos;s Mercedes Stephenson. This image prevailed during the NDP leadership contest and may have given Mulcair an edge over opponents such as Toronto MP Peggy Nash, she told CTV News Channel. "Some people told me they were voting for him, even though they didn&apos;t necessarily like him that much, because they thought he was the person who could win," she said. Even with the ad&apos;s everyman tone, Mulcair is shown sitting in a corporate boardroom setting while wearing a suit. The corporate setting is a departure from the traditional NDP image, but then again, much of Mulcair&apos;s talking points have been as well. "Look at some of the things he&apos;s been talking about in the House of Commons," noted Stephenson. "The economy, jobs...those aren&apos;t traditional NDP base issues."