In her investigative report, Kimberley Horwood asserted, “I do find that the personal aspect of the attacks on Timmons does not add to the merit of Barter’s protest, and therefore it must be concluded that it was only conducted for the purpose of tormenting or otherwise harassing Timmons, which infringes section 5(a)(5) of the Student Code of Conduct, in that they constitute bullying or harassment of another person.”
Horwood’s assessment is deeply flawed. My protest against Timmons was a fundamental political criticism of her role as President. My protest sign was shaped like a stop sign and had a simple message: President Vianne Timmons needed to be stopped due to her decisions to implement massive tuition hikes and gross misspending. Horwood’s view that political involvement should be genteel and her inclination to censor political expressions she disapproves of is profoundly troubling.
The Parliament of Canada and Election Canada have conduct rules for members and candidates, as do labour unions and other organizations. If Horwood’s narrow view were accepted, many political participants across the country would face repercussions.
Although Horwood investigated my December 2, 2021, protest, it is also relevant to mention the posters I placed around campus months earlier of President Vianne Timmons with the words “Resign” and “No to tuition hikes.” The poster was fairly innocuous, but Timmons stated to the media that the posters were a violation of the university’s respectful workplace policy.
It is worthwhile to view posters from political parties, unions, and organizations across the country that are far less innocuous than mine. Examples include a poster of Ontario Premier Doug Ford with the words “CORRUPT & INCOMPETENT: FORD RESIGN NOW!,” a poster with a picture of Ford with a clowns nose, a poster with a picture of Ford his hand over his face with the words “It’s been another long year of Doug Ford F*ckery,” a poster with the picture of federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre with the his name and the words “He’s not in it for you,” a poster of Poilievre with a picture of him and the words “PIERRE POILIEVRE’S RECKLESS WEEK,” a poster with a bobble head of former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer with his name and the words “Yes man To The 1%,” a poster with a picture of Ford and the words “CORRUPTION, CLOSURES & COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS,” a poster of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hugging his Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault in the background with a picture of Guilbeault in a orange prison jump suit with the word “RESIGN,” a poster with pictures of Trudeau and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey with a screenshot of an ATIPP request and the words “FUREY-TRUDEAU LIBERALS LIED!” a poster with Trudeau’s picture and the words “We CAN’T AFFORD MORE OF THE SAME,” a poster with the words, “JUSTIN TRUDEAU NOT AS ADVERTISED,” a poster with the words “JUSTIN TRUDEAU JUST NOT READY,” a poster with a picture of a website mock 404 page with a graphic of Trudeau and the words “Like Justin Trudeau this page is.. JUST NOT READY,” and a poster of former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion that with a picture of him and the words “Stéphane Dion is not a leader.”
As evident by the posters, political criticism in Canada has always employed striking visuals and strong language, far beyond the mild approach I used with Timmons. Many use unflattering or edited images of leaders, whereas I used an unaltered picture of Timmons that she herself had used. It would serve Horwood well to adopt a broader perspective rather than imposing her restrictive views on political discourse.
According to the NATO Association of Canada’s Ravdeep Sandal, the critical style of politics in elections, labelled as “negative political advertisements,” faces backlash for contributing to voter cynicism and manipulation. However, the benefits of this strategy cannot be denied. In the 1988 United States presidential election, George H.W. Bush leveraged negative ads to overtake Michael Dukakis, who refrained from using them.
Political parties spend 30 to 50 percent of their advertising budgets on “negative ads.” Studies show that individuals recall negative information more easily. A survey by Karen S. Johnson-Cartee and Gary Copeland revealed that two-thirds of respondents recalled seeing “negative advertising.” “Negative ads” are not the norm, so individuals are not accustomed to seeing them, which makes the messages stand out. “Negative ads” with strong emotional impact and visuals are easily recalled by most citizens. This was true of the poster calling for Timmons’ resignation. During my decade on the Memorial University St. John’s Campus, I had never seen such a reaction to a poster, with most responses being in favour.
Sandal describes a personal attack as a political advertisement that does not attack a leader’s decisions or positions on issues. Director of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Centre for Free Expression Jim Turk stated that “Personal attacks, it seems to me, would be saying she’s a terrible mother […] or she’s a violent person — not going after her because she’s the president of the university or because of the policy that the university is pursuing.”
Sandal argues that these ads provide alternative perspectives, helping voters analyze politics from other angles and often present more factual information than “positive advertisements.” Sandal states that “negative ads” can highlight concerns in party policies and play a “watchdog role.” He argues that “positive ads” are constructed to avoid hard policy questions and often do not provide valuable information. He states that they are often not aligned with reality and showcases the “sunny side.” While negative ads may be unpleasant, they can help uncover hidden truths. Information in “negative advertising” can benefit democracy by contributing to an effective citizenry. Horwood’s attempt to silence such critical political engagement is not just misguided but dangerous to democratic discourse.
Matt Barter is a graduate of the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, holding a degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, taking walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
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