Ontario’s governing Liberals are launching a $1-million attack-ad blitz on Doug Ford, using the rookie Progressive Conservative leader’s own words against him.

Starting Monday, the party will begin airing pre-election ads that target Ford for his policies and past pronouncements on autistic children, abortion and race.

“There’s the Doug Ford you think you know,” intones a female narrator over a photo of Ford.

She continues over a soundtrack of ominous music: “And then there’s the real Doug Ford: who will give corporations huge tax cuts, but takes the minimum wage raise right out of hard-working people’s pockets; who will fire 40,000 public sector workers, including teachers and healthcare workers; put restrictions on a woman’s right to decide her own pregnancy, and won’t make big business pay a cent to address climate change. The real Doug Ford. He’d be comfortable living in that kind of Ontario. Would you?”

The 30-second spot, prepared by Bensimon Byrne, cites, as source material, news stories in the Star, The Canadian Press, the Ottawa Citizen, Maclean’s and the National Observer.

There’s the Doug Ford you think you know. And then there’s the Real Doug Ford.

A second ad, that cites a 2014 CBC News report, is called “Doug Said,” and is the first in a planned series on Ford’s more controversial statements, which are being collected at a Liberal website called “Real Doug Ford.”

“Doug said, in response to a home for autistic kids that was built in his community: ‘It ruined the community. My heart goes out to kids with autism, but no one told me they’d be leaving the house. If it comes down to it, I’ll buy the house, myself, and resell it.’”

The tag-line is: “If we really listen to Doug Ford, he tells us exactly who he is.”

While none of the ads feature Premier Kathleen Wynne, who is trailing Ford in every public-opinion poll, the Liberals insist they will showcase their leader during the June 7 campaign.

One “Doug Said” spot will highlight his comments on being “proud that I’m a social conservative,” who would “welcome” legislation empowering parents to block a teenager’s abortion.

Another will note Ford once referred to a female Star reporter as “that little bitch” and he once told a pregnant Globe and Mail reporter to get off her “lazy ass.”

Still others will point out his support for U.S. President Donald Trump and record his views on race.

“You can be racist against people that eat little red apples, you can be racist against people that have a drinking problem,” he once told Now Magazine in a quote the Liberals will use during the campaign.

Ford’s spokesperson Melissa Lantsman said the governing party’s ads smack of desperation.

“The Liberals have taken so much from Ontario taxpayers that they have nothing left to offer other than fear and smear,” said Lantsman.

“We will keep campaigning for the people, and against Kathleen Wynne’s 15-year record of waste, corruption, abuse and mismanagement,” she said.

Liberal campaign co-chair Deb Matthews conceded that Wynne is “behind” Ford in the race.

“We are going all in. It’s not desperate; this is a campaign. When people see these ads, they are shocked and … their opinion of him shifts,” said Matthews.

The Tories, meanwhile, are accusing Wynne of campaigning on the public dime.

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“Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals have likely spent $187,500 of taxpayers’ money campaigning over the last two weeks. No fewer than 25 times have the premier and Liberal ministers held campaign-style events,” the PC Party said.

“Each and every one of these announcements is taking approximately $7,500 out of the taxpayers’ pocket. The party with taxpayers’ money is over.”

Wynne’s spokesperson said “this is entirely false, and the Ford campaign knows it to be false.”

“As the leader of the opposition, Mr. Ford relies on a large number of staff at the Legislature who are paid by the taxpayer. He has not fired those people or moved to pay for them, as a wealthy man, out of his own pocket,” said Andrea Ernesaks, the premier’s press secretary.

“His attack is, therefore, obvious hypocrisy. Most important of all, the premier is the elected leader of the province and she attends events in that capacity.”

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