Impact of third-party election ads overrated: analyst

Third-party political advertising goes unfettered in Alberta, but there is little evidence it influences voter behavior, says one political scientist.

A collection of labour groups, calling themselves Albertans for Change, started running ads attacking Tory premier Ed Stelmach several weeks ago.

With the March 3 election campaign officially underway as of Monday, the groups can continue to buy and run as many ads as they can afford because under Alberta election law there are no limits, said Lisa Young, who teaches political science at the University of Calgary.

But that does not mean the ads will have any influence, she stressed.

Although the ads clearly target Stelmach, they are less clear about what action they want people to take, putting their effectiveness into doubt, she said.

Even so, the lack of rules around third-party advertising does raise some questions, she said.

"If we don't know who is paying for it, then we don't know who is trying to influence the outcome of an election," Young said.

"If the advertiser doesn't decide to be upfront about who is paying for things — what interests are at stake — then I think it's dubious from that point of view."

In this case, the public knows that labour is behind the Stelmach ads, but other third-party advertisers may be more secretive, protected by the lack of rules, she said.