The reviews are in

The Star-Phoenix editorial board:

Negative political advertising intends to brand an opponent, but it also helps define the party or candidate sending the message.

Such ads can do as much damage to the sender as to the target, especially in Canada, where we tend to pride ourselves on a mature political culture that focuses more on issues than on personalities.

The Saskatchewan Party's new television attack ads that target NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter reveal as much about the governing party as they do about the man who wants to inherit the premier's chair -- perhaps more.
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For a majority government such as the Saskatchewan Party's to adopt such attack advertising suggests a puzzling element of panic.

A minority government can be defeated almost anytime, so in theory it's always in election mode. But why would a government with a comfortable majority and a fixed election date almost two years away stoop to adopt questionable political tactics?
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Ultimately, negative political advertising is like using a grenade up close: If you don't hit your target, you're going to hurt yourself badly, and even if you do hit your target, you're still likely to suffer some harm yourself. That's why attack ads have been used cautiously in Canada, particularly outside of writ periods.

For the Saskatchewan Party, this marks a distinct shift in message from positive to the negative. What's obviously missing is sufficient ammunition for an effective attack and a motive for the change in strategy, other than to ape the federal Conservatives.