Tories turn to Bryan Adams' songwriter for election campaign theme

CTV National News: Day one on the campaign trail With the federal election officially underway, the parties were quick to launch their campaigns. Omar Sachedina reports.

TORONTO -- The Conservative Party of Canada has turned to Bryan Adams' longtime hitmaker Jim Vallance to pen their campaign song.

The guitar-driven tune is packed with Vallance's trademarked pop-rock zeal, as a chorus of voices belt lyrics that include: "A brand new day, a better way, it's time for you to get ahead." A bilingual version offers the second and last verses in French.

Vallance's chart-toppers include Adams' hits "Cuts Like a Knife," "Run to You," "Summer of '69" and "Somebody." He's also provided songs for Michael Buble, Aerosmith, Rod Stewart and KISS.

Conservative spokesman Simon Jefferies described the song as a creative way to promote the party's campaign slogan: "It's time for you to get ahead."

"This song taps into what a lot of Canadians are feeling: they are working harder and harder, playing by all the rules, but they're just getting by," Jefferies said Wednesday by email.

The federal election campaign formally launched Wednesday, with the vote set for Oct. 21.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer kicked off his campaign in Quebec and Ontario, while Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was set to fly to British Columbia for a rally in the NDP-held riding of Vancouver-Kingsway.

The New Democratic Party started off in London, Ont., while the Green Party was in British Columbia, where Elizabeth May launched her campaign in Victoria.

The Liberals said they will unveil their song in the coming days. A spokeswoman for the Greens said they do not have a song at this point.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh does not have an official song, but a representative said he walks out to a track called "Differentology" by Bunji Garlin.