Brothels, shackles and marijuana feature in Canada election ads

Canada's Prime Minister and Conservative leader Stephen Harper speaks at a campaign event at J.P. Bowman, a tool and die facility, in Brantford, Ontario, October 14, 2015. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday defended an election ad that claimed his main rival wanted to set up brothels - the latest in a series of hard-hitting commercials that have marked the campaign.

Harper's Conservatives, trailing in the run-up to the Oct. 19 election, are running newspaper ads aimed at ethnic communities that claim the opposition Liberals want to legalize prostitution and open brothels, and also make it easier to sell marijuana to children.