BC Liberal candidates star in hard-hitting anti-Dix attack ad

This is the new “attack ad” from the BC Liberals aimed at Adrian Dix, the leader of the NDP. Several polling organizations have found the the BC Liberals well back of the BC NDP last week (the gap was anywhere from 4 points to 10 points). There is less than a week to go until election day on May 14.

This is pretty harsh attack ad. Here’s the setup from the BC Libs:

During the TV leaders’ debate, Adrian Dix shirked responsibility for his infamous forged memo because he was “35 at the time”.

Today, a group of our candidates that are under the age of 35 released a new web video calling on Adrian Dix to take responsibility for forging a document to conceal his boss from a criminal investigation, lying about it by claiming it was authentic, and then taking a $65,000 severance after getting fired from the Premier’s Office.

One thing I find notable — even laudable — is that the “attacks” are levelled here by actual BC Liberal candidates and not, as is so often the case in  political ads, by phony actors with deep menacing voices. The production quality is otherwise pretty cheap-looking but I’d give that a pass if more politicians voiced or appeared in the ads attacking their opponents.

Mind you, the BC Liberal candidates are not identified by riding or name. So I’ve identified them for you:

1. “I’m 24” Barbara Lu (Port Coquitlam)
2. “I’m 34” Gabby Kalaw (Vancouver Kensington)
3. “I’m 34” Gurjit Dhillon (Vancouver Kingsway)
4. “I’m 26” Nick Facey (North Island)
5. “‘I’m 32” Fatima Siddiqui (Vancouver Hastings)
6. “I’m 29” Sukhminder Virk (Surrey Newton)

Of some note: None of these candidates, incidentally, are incumbents. And, in fact, some of them are absolute longshots to win.

Dhillon is running against — wait for it — Adrian Dix in Vancouver Kingsway.

Siddiqui is running in Vancouver Hastings one of only two ridings  that elected New Democrats in the wipeout of that party in 2001. (The other was Vancouver -Mount Pleasant). So Hastings voters, it seems, will pick New Democrats even when the rest of the province is voting Liberal. And next week is not one of those weeks when the rest of the province votes Liberal.

In Surrey Newton, the BC LIberals got 25% of the popular vote in 2009 while incumbent Harry Bains got nearly 70% of the popular vote. Hard to see how Virk overcomes that margin of victory given the current polls.

The BC Liberals are also likely to get swept off Vancouver Island but even if they hold on, my bet is that Michelle Stillwelle in Parksville-Qualicum is the only survivor (Maybe Don McRae in Comox Valley though he’s gonna need a lot of luck). It almost certainly won’t be Nick Facey in North Island (though, when I interviewed him on my TV show the other day, I must say I admired Nick’s pluck!)

Lu is up against Mike Farnworth in Port Coquitlam. Farnworth was first elected in 1991, served in previous NDP cabinets, and ran against Adrian Dix for his party’s leadership (finished just behind Dix). Farnworth would be a good bet to win again here.

Kalaw has an outside chance perhaps in Vancouver Kensington (that’s former BC Premier Ujjal Dossanjh’s old riding) where the NDP incumbent won 12 percentage points in 2009, 53% to 41%.