TORONTO - The New Democrats have identified minimum wage as one of their key campaign issues heading into October's election, and on Tuesday began targeting the province's soccer-crazed multicultural community with a television ad touting fairness for families.

The NDP ad, which calls for a $10 minimum wage, will air on the Telelatino network during the FIFA U-20 World Cup soccer tournament for the next three weeks, and the party's logo will sporadically appear in the on-screen graphics beside the game time.

In the ad, NDP Leader Howard Hampton is seen playing soccer with his kids, and a voice-over reminds voters of the 25 per cent pay raise Premier Dalton McGuinty and other members of provincial parliament gave themselves late last year.

The 30-second ad reflects how the New Democrats' election campaign will focus on securing a fair wage for the province's lower-income workers, said Diane O'Reggio of the party's election planning committee.

"It reflects voter frustration over Dalton McGuinty giving himself a $40,000 pay raise while making Ontario's lowest-paid workers wait three years for a $10 minimum wage - and that's if you can believe McGuinty's pre-election promises,'' she said.

"It lays out a clear choice between Dalton McGuinty, who puts himself first, and Howard Hampton as a leader who you can count on to put working families first.''

Finance Minister Greg Sorbara, who is also the Liberals' campaign co-chair, said he had not yet seen the ad, but wasn't shocked to hear it attacked the government.

"I just see the NDP right now as a sort of dark and desperate party,'' Sorbara said. "I'm therefore not surprised that they came out negative. I'm not surprised they are singing old tunes.''

The Liberal plan to phase in minimum-wage increases received the endorsement of every economist the government consulted, and the pay-raise issue hasn't hurt the Liberals, he said.

"No economist in the country worth his or her salt advocated the jump of the kind the NDP was proposing,'' Sorbara said. "I think we've got the right policy.

"And as I go around my riding and the province, I never hear the (pay hike) issue raised.''

The New Democrats would not disclose the cost of the ad, which can also be seen online on YouTube and the party's website.

Although the games on Telelatino will be broadcast in multiple languages including Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, the ad will run only in English.

O'Reggio would not say when the party plans to roll out its entire election platform.

Both Hampton and McGuinty were on the road Tuesday in the unofficial campaign season leading up to the Oct. 10 election.