For a politician who attained high office by promising to “clean up” the nation’s governance and restore public trust, Stephen Harper has fallen a long way. His faltering Conservative campaign is resorting to vile smears and outright lies in a scuzzy bid to forestall a train wreck as this nasty election campaign comes down to a sordid finale. The desperation in the Conservative camp is palpable, just days before Monday’s vote. And Harper’s cynical hucksterism is only the half of it. He has been having Tory supporters peel off wads of money to the ka-ching of a cash register in a bid to portray Justin Trudeau as robbing taxpayers blind — when in fact the Liberal agenda puts more cash into working peoples’ hands, not less.

Hucksterism hits new heights as Conservative leader Stephen Harper waves wads of money to the ka-ching of a cash register in a bid to portray Justin Trudeau as robbing taxpayers blind. ( MARK BLINCH / REUTERS )

Not content with that Big Fib, the Conservatives have been enlisting Tory candidates, attack ads and even TV spots to peddle a variety of other lies. To hear them tell it, Trudeau wants to “legalize the selling of women,” and force neighborhoods to accept brothels. He wants to make it easier for kids to get their hands on marijuana. And he plans to scrap income-splitting for seniors. This smear campaign discredits the Tory brand. Harper knows his team is peddling lies, yet he insists “all we’re trying to do is draw attention to facts.” Some facts. Here’s what the record says:

Article Continued Below

On seniors: The Liberal campaign platform expressly states “We will not end pension income splitting for seniors.” Period. The Tory claim is so ripe that the Liberals have rolled out a new TV ad featuring Etobicoke icon Hazel “Hurricane” McCallion, mocking Harper and asking: “Stephen, do I look scared to you?” On marijuana: Trudeau supports legalizing cannabis to “control and regulate it” as we do for alcohol and cigarettes, specifically “to keep it out of the hands of our kids where it does the most harm.” On brothels: Trudeau refused to support the Tories’ hugely flawed Bill C-36, which cracked down on prostitution, and he was right to do so. In a bid to drive prostitutes out of business it forces them into the shadows, putting their lives at risk. Beyond rejecting C-36, Trudeau has no stance on prostitution. To suggest he favours women selling their bodies, or brothels, is pure invention. To his credit, Trudeau has largely taken the high road in this campaign. But that’s not to say his team is lily-white. The Liberals have put out flyers warning new Canadians that Harper can “take away” their citizenship, under a suite of new laws. It’s true, but misleading. The law does empower Ottawa to revoke the citizenship of dual citizens — but only if they are convicted of terrorism and other grave offences, not run-of-the-mill crimes.

On another front, Trudeau was right to repudiate Dan Gagnier, his campaign co-chair, when he was exposed in some dubious dealings. Gagnier, an energy consultant, has been advising clients at TransCanada Corp. on how to lobby a new government on issues such as the Energy East pipeline. Initially, the Liberals defended Gagnier. But by day’s end on Wednesday he had resigned, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction. Trudeau publicly repudiated his actions as “unacceptable” only on Thursday, a day later.

Article Continued Below

This didn’t look good for a party still saddled with baggage from the decade-old sponsorship scandal, when federal ad spending in Quebec was channelled through Liberal-friendly firms, with some funds diverted back into party coffers. It helped propel the Tories to power. Predictably, Harper claimed “the culture of the Liberal Party… has not changed.” That remains to be seen. Trudeau deserves a chance to prove his party has learned its lesson. But the front-runner can expect no quarter. As Trudeau counters the Tory smear machine he needs to be acutely alert to Liberal lapses as well. Canadians aren’t voting to go back to the future.

Read more about: