Conservatives channel Viagra as record Ontario voters risk killing their mood: Election Power Meter

Welcome to National Post’s campaign Power Meter, where we will track the shifting tides of the election. As the race unfolds, we’ll rank parties, candidates and other characters based on momentum, performance, and public perception. Who’s gaining ground? Who’s losing steam? Keep checking in as we measure the moments that could shape the outcome. BATTLE OF ONTARIO: Hockey’s “Battle of Ontario” got off to a one-sided start on Sunday when the Toronto Maple Leafs spanked the Ottawa Senators 6-2 on home ice. And the battle for Ontario’s 122 federal seats looks to be trending in a similarly lopsided direction with less than a week to go until election day. Poll aggregator 338Canada had the Liberals ahead in 82 Ontario districts and competitive in as many as 95 districts on Tuesday. The Liberals haven’t flirted with the 100-seat mark in Canada’s largest province since the early 2000s. The Conservatives, meanwhile, could tumble as low as the mid-20s in their Ontario seat count after winning 40 seats there in the last federal election in 2021. POWER METER RATING: POTENTIAL KINGMAKER  EARLY VOTING: Easter long weekend was anything but restful for election workers as 7.3 million Canadians flocked to the polls over four days of advanced voting, shattering the old record of 5.8 million, set during the last federal election in 2021. Wait times of well over an hour were reported at multiple precincts, with some voting stations even running out of ballots . Some political scientists predicted at the start of the campaign that the election’s high stakes , driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to both the economy and national sovereignty, would drive up turnout to levels not seen in decades. The robust early turnout numbers so far back that up. POWER METER RATING: YUGE! Targeted ads: The Conservative Party created quite the buzz with a 30-second spot depicting two seniors talking politics at the driving range. The ad caught a number of eyeballs over the long weekend when it was slotted into the heavily watched first round of the NHL playoffs. Just in case there was any ambiguity over the target audience, a casting call dug up by journalist Stephen Maher shows directors were looking for “two non-union White male performers aged 65-75.” And while the ad contained familiar Conservative blue branding, some viewers couldn’t help but notice its generous borrowing of well-worn tropes from ads for a little blue pill . POWER METER RATING: SENIOR STIMULATING National Post

• A record 7.3 million Canadians voted in advance polls
• Conservatives promise over $70B in tax cuts and $34B in new spending

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