Ontario Votes: PCs unveil 'hope' ad

The Progressive Conservatives have unveiled a new online ad that they say showcases them as the party with a message of hope.

The clip has party leader Tim Hudak saying he's asking Ontarians to opt for progress and vote for a plan that will mean a better future for the province.

• Ontario Votes 2014: full election coverage
• Vote Compass - found out where you fit on the Ontario political landscape
• Hudak vows to scrap light rail lines

"I will not ask the people of this province to vote against the other leaders, but to vote for a plan for a better Ontario," Hudak can be heard saying on the 40-second clip as music plays in the background.

The ad was introduced by deputy party leader Christine Elliott at the Abilities Centre in Whitby, where a visitation was held last month for her late husband, former finance minister Jim Flaherty.

Elliott said the Tories want to have "a debate about ideas," while Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne has spent the campaign "angry, negative and lashing out at others."

"We don't want to be attacking other people personally," said Elliott, taking a jab at a Liberal ad released last weekend in which Wynne asked if NDP leader Andrea Horwath was "for real."

Hudak has spent a fair amount of time on the campaign trail digging into Wynne and the Liberal government.

As well, the Progressive Conservatives still have at least two ads from late last year available online that are highly critical Wynne.

"We have a plan that is both fiscally responsible and socially responsible. And we want to have an opportunity to showcase it to people," said Elliott. "That's why we're focusing on a hopeful vision forward, not looking back and attacking other people."

On Sunday, Wynne defended her party's ads.

Wynne says her spots — one suggested NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is out of touch with Ontarians — are about contrasting differences between the Liberals and the other parties.

The Liberal leader says her campaign messaging is about debating "facts," such as her party's budget priorities on infrastructure spending and Tory leader Tim Hudak's plan to cut 100,000 public sector jobs.

She says her party's ads have made it clear what they stand for and don't sling mud at anyone.