Co-Authored by Rebecca Rossi and Regan Preszcator

Ontario’s provincial election is less than seven months away and attack advertisements against Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown have flooded the media.

A new organization called Working Ontario Women, or WOW for short, has sprung up and has begun a pre-election attack ad blitz which you may have seen if you have watched your local news channel, attempted to watch a YouTube video sans advertisement, or simply logged on to your Facebook page.

This new organization claims that it is fighting to “change women’s lives for the better,” which begs the question: Better than what? Haven’t the Liberals had 14 years in power to do this?

While many watching WOW’s ads may fall into the trap set out for them, it is important to point towards who exactly WOW is composed of.

The organization, which claims to work for “working women,” is a well-financed one. It is bankrolled by the powerful Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which currently has 2 million members in North America and has supported the governing Liberals in the past.

WOW appears to be modeled on the Working Families coalition of unions, also powerfully bankrolled, that have helped swing the 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2014 Ontario elections to the Liberals with attack ads against the Conservatives, often based on fear-mongering lies aimed at scaring voters out of voting for the PC Party.

The Working Families organization has long held that it is a “nonpartisan” group. However, there are reasons to believe that the group’s $2 million investment into attack ads in the 2014 election, which cost the PC’s their last election, has brought them substantial benefits, allowing the organization to pull the strings on some of Wynne’s decision-making.

Like Working Families, WOW holds that it is a “nonpartisan” group, despite the fact that the ads hope to swing potential PC voters into voting Liberal. Michael Spitale, the former President of the Ontario Liberal Party, has even resigned his post in July to take on greater responsibilities in the union that finances this group.

Targeted comments towards PC leadership candidate Patrick Brown show clear partisanship on part of this group. This is an election, and slanderous ads and attack media are part of the game, but claiming “non-partisanship” while putting forward clear partisan messaging is out of bounds.

Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown.

While spending limits have been imposed on “third-party” advocacy groups like WOW, spending is currently capped at $600,000 in the six-month period before a scheduled election, which began at the start of November. During the actual writ of the election period, this amount is further restricted, capped at $100,000.

Clearly, WOW is taking advantage of these numbers – spreading their message now, rather than later and are stimulating their message into the viewership of targeted vulnerable groups.

We raise these points to show our readers the importance of being wary with election propaganda from organizations deeming to be “non-partisan.” We suggest that you take into consideration the need to really do your homework before making an informed voter decision so not to be swayed by organizations like WOW.

Despite WOW’s message, Brown has claimed that “social conservative views” are off limits at his upcoming policy convention slated to be held on November 25.

“Any policy that attempts to limit a woman’s right to choose or the ability of same-sex couples to marry are off limits, period,” Brown told The Canadian Press in an interview.

Disclaimer: Story of a Tory is in no way affiliated with the Conservative Party of Canada or any other political party, be it federal or provincial. The views of each author are independent of all other authors.