Canadian political ads in the days before Twitter

Political ads seem to be everywhere when a federal election is in full swing.

Twitter, Facebookand Instagram have all made it easier for parties to get their messages out. At the same time, theadvent of social media has also made it all too easy for candidates to get into trouble.

With this noted, we look back on pre-digitaltimes, when political ads weren't so easy to disseminate.

The photo gallery above features postersthat date back as far as 1891, whenthe Conservative Party of Prime MinisterJohn A. Macdonalddefeated WilfridLaurier's Liberals.

One of the central issuesof thatcampaign was Macdonald's National Policy of protective tariffs.The Liberals supported free tradewith the United States.

The 1911 anti-reciprocity campaign posters weredesigned by Toronto cartoonist Newton McConnell.

Things got nastier during the 1917 election campaign, which pitted the pro-conscription Conservatives under Robert Borden's Union government against Laurier's Liberal Party.

The Union Party posterdepicted in the gallery showsLaurier and the Liberal Party expressing sympathy forthe Kaiser of Germany.

Posters in Canada started tolosetheir dominance as mass media became commonplace, first with radio in the 1930s and then television in the 1950s.

Fast forward to the election of 1984.

The Progressive Conservative Party, led by BrianMulroney, won the largest majority governmentin Canadian history.

The election marked the end of the Liberals' long dominance of federal politics in Quebec.

All three of the below videos are from that particular campaign.

The first video featuresMulroneytalking about the economyand jobswhile sitting at a desk.

PC Party of Canada election ad - 1984

9 years ago

Duration 0:31

'Listening'

The second video is from the New Democratic Party. It also hits onjobs and the economy. In the video, a recent graduate looks eager tojointhe workforce. The NDP promised to create more jobs for young people during the campaign.

New Democratic Party election ad - 1984

9 years ago

Duration 0:33

'Graduation'

The last video is from theLiberals and featuresa mockgameshow called Reaching for the Top.Notably, the two men in the video have their heads cut out ofthe frame as they hit thebuzzers.

Liberal Party of Canada election ad - 1984

9 years ago

Duration 0:33

'Reaching For The Top'