TORY AD TAKES POTSHOT AT NDP

Edmonton-Strathcona Incumbent Targets 'Biggest Competition' In
Marijuana Radio Spot

EDMONTON - Local NDP organizers are calling a Tory attack ad an act
of desperation, saying the commercial shows Linda Duncan has a real
chance of knocking Rahim Jaffer out of his Edmonton-Strathcona seat.

"We're actually kind of buoyed by it," said Jeff Sloychuk, an
organizer for the Alberta NDP campaign. "This is obviously a
desperate act by a very desperate soon-to-be-ex MP."

But Jaffer sees the ad -- which aired Thursday on 630 CHED, and
targets NDP Leader Jack Layton on marijuana -- as a way to show
constituents how different the two parties are when it comes to crime
and justice.

"Everyone knows, it's no secret, last time around the NDP came second
here. I haven't seen any internal polls, but the indication is that
they're in the same sort of position again," Jaffer said. "So if
they're your biggest competition, you want to make sure people have
the facts when it comes to especially important issues."

The radio ad stems from comments Layton made in 2003 to Pot TV, a now
defunct Internet site. He called marijuana a "wonderful substance,"
that Canadians should be able to freely purchase or grow, and perhaps
enjoy in their homes or in a cafe.

Jaffer's commercial says: "Jack Layton and the Ottawa NDP have
publicly supported the legalization of marijuana.

"In fact, when asked about marijuana, Jack Layton called it a
wonderful substance ... .

"Edmontonians understand how difficult it is to make sure our
children make the right choices, especially on serious issues like
drug use. The Conservative party supports drug-free schools and
getting tough on drug dealers who sell illegal drugs to children.
Don't let our schools go up in smoke."

Jaffer said the ad tells listeners about the NDP's position on crime.

"The NDP claim that they're tough on crime, but their actions speak
completely differently," he said. "They've been very soft on the
issue of marijuana ... . We're simply highlighting this trend of
being soft on crime."

Jaffer is on the record as supporting the decriminalization of
marijuana, but said that is different from legalizing the drug. He
said he is open to discussing marijuana's medical uses, and
decriminalizing it in small amounts.

The NDP's official position on marijuana is it should be
decriminalized in small amounts, particularly for medical needs.

"This is a blatant scare tactic," Sloychuk said. "This sort of thing
means that we are the threat, and it's a two-way race, and it's
between Linda and Rahim."

He said Jaffer is out of touch.

"All of our work here is focused on responding to people's concerns
around their mortgages, their jobs, their RRSPs, their investments,
their homes," he said.

Both parties say they have not conducted any polls since the start of
the election campaign. In 2006, Duncan was 5,000 votes behind Jaffer.