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But Jefferies cited video clips in which Trudeau states he is not considering legalizing hard drugs “right now” or “at this time.”

“If Justin Trudeau tells us precisely when he is going to legalize dangerous drugs we will amend our advertisements to reflect this new information,” he said.

Asked by the Post if both parties were guilty of fearmongering, representatives did not respond. They also would not say why certain ads were being put out in Chinese language only.

Niraj Sinha, founder and CEO of Maple Diversity Communications, said both parties are clearly attempting to influence the growing numbers of Chinese voters, particularly in Ontario and B.C.

Photo by Conservative Party of Canada/Facebook

Traditional Eastern cultures, he said, tend to view drugs and guns differently than the West. Research has shown that Chinese immigrants tend to cite well-being and opportunities for their children as the primary reason for their immigration to Canada.

“Drugs and guns can be something directly relatable to their younger generations. That’s why this Chinese segment (even South Asians) will view it more sensitively,” he said.

Andres Machalski, president of MIREMS International, an ethnic-media monitoring company, said the ads appeared to be a “desperate expression of the lack of real distinction between the party platforms in many issues that concern immigrants.”

“What for me is astounding is the fact that Canadian politicians have so little respect for the intelligence of our ethnic communities that they think they can dupe them with fake claims about their opponents’ platforms. And that is a crime against democracy in my view.”

Translation provided by Niko Bell

• Email: dquan@postmedia.com | Twitter: dougquan

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