Conservatives release new election-style ads

There's at least three years before the next federal election, but it appears the Conservatives are already in campaign mode.

No, they haven't reverted to robocalls, but they have gone back to another signature tactic: television attack ads.

Stephen Harper's party has produced two election-style commercials, to be broadcast in key markets starting Tuesday.

The first one targets Liberal leader Bob Rae's record as premier of Ontario:

"As the premier of Ontario he has a proven record of failure," notes the video's narrator.

"By the time he was done, Premier Rae turned Ontario into the welfare capital of Canada. Bob Rae, if he couldn't run a province, why does he think he can run Canada?"

A Conservative source told the Toronto Sun that Rae is fair game because he has not ruled out running for the leadership of the third-place party.

The second ad is in colour, and highlights Harper's handling of the economy after the 2008 global meltdown.

"We welcome Bob Rae's call for a debate on his record and ours," the Conservative source told the Sun.

"So we are launching an advertising campaign highlighting Bob Rae's proven record of failure and contrasting it with the strong economic leadership of the prime minister and our Conservative government."