The Harper government pays up to $1.5 million annually for its services, but the real story is that there is nothing in any of the video or text materials that reveal they are sponsored content. It is a propagandist's dream.
The Star reports about one of their videos that casts Health Canada and Aboriginal Affairs in a misleadingly positive light:
An undated video about the Nutrition North program available for use on the News Canada website states as fact that it has increased access to fresh foods in remote areas, leading grocery retailers to pass on the subsidy to consumers by reducing pricesYou can access the video by clicking on the link below:
A quick Internet search for any real news story about Nutrition North might turn up results about how the auditor general said the aboriginal affairs department does not actually know whether that is true.
Bringing Nutrition To Canada’s North
This leads me once again to reproduce more fine letters from perspicacious Star readers, who have no trouble seeing through yet another Harper-orchestrated deception:
Re: And now the news – brought to you by the Tories, Dec. 20
The use of News Canada Ltd. by the “Harper Government” to “create and distribute government-approved news items” is compelling evidence that the Conservative Party of Canada is acutely aware that something fundamental is missing from their ability to effectively communicate with Canadians. That something is credibility.
Credibility must be earned and it must be maintained through honesty, integrity, competence, sound judgment, empathy, and fairness. The Conservatives have amply demonstrated that these values are sadly missing from their partisan culture.
Our economy is suffering because of a lack of vision and diversification. Our veterans cannot get the help they so desperately need while budgets are cut and $1.1 billion is returned to government coffers. The gap between rich and poor grows ever wider ever more rapidly. Environmental groups and left-leaning think tanks that question government policies are audited. Northern Aboriginals scavenge in the dump for food while the minister reads her newspaper and refuses to answer questions. The list goes on.
There are two ironies in the credibility crisis the “Harper Government” now faces. The first is that the Conservatives have brought this upon themselves. Years of “truthiness,” cheating, bullying, and hypocrisy have eroded their credibility with Canadians to the point that the Conservatives now believe the only viable way they have to get their messages out is through deceit.
And therein lays the second irony. This attempt to deceive Canadians will only serve to further erode what little remains of the “Harper Government’s” credibility.
Lyle J. Goodin, Bowmanville
Harper has stolen another page from Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels’ book. Harper’s advisers then created an enemies of the PM list as did field marshall Hermann Goering with his blacklist to warn Hitler of his enemies. Meanwhile Canadians receive weekly propaganda leaflets from their Tory MPs across the country telling of their accomplishments.
Bill Tuer, Cobourg
To read the rest of the missives, please click here.
Nothing to see here, folks.... move along.
ReplyDeleteThe public is not yet disenchanted enough to see through any of this.
Another election will be bought. Four more years.
Or.....
I much prefer the 'Or,' Anon.
DeleteThere is no "or". An up-the-middle squeak in Harper majority is a near certainty with the turnout this sad, complacent, dying, little nation of sheep is able to generate.
DeleteWhat you suggest tends to be supported by an article in today's Star by Susan Delacourt, Dana, although there is one bright note:
DeleteIn 2012, about 45 per cent of Canadians said voting was a matter of choice rather than duty. In 2014, only 39 per cent agree that’s the case; a solid majority — 61 per cent — said going to the polls was part of their duties as citizens.
You can read the complete article at this address:http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/01/02/canadians_trust_in_elections_low_before_2015_federal_vote_delacourt.html#
From the article: "In 2012, about 45 per cent of Canadians said voting was a matter of choice rather than duty. In 2014, only 39 per cent agree that’s the case; a solid majority — 61 per cent — said going to the polls was part of their duties as citizens."
DeleteDoes this mean that in 2012 55% of people felt voting was a duty? Pretty good figure too really and look what we got.
People lie in surveys and portray themselves in as virtuous a light as they can. There is also a significant number of people included in any given survey who simply don't know what they are talking about - for lots of reasons. We used to have to winnow out as many as 4 or 5% of responses to questions like "where do you shop?" because people would still tell us Woodwards, Eatons, Woolco - stores that hadn't existed for years. People will still say they plan to vote for the Progressive Conservative party in the next federal election. Even have seen, heaven help us, Social Credit. Given the percentages of useless, meaningless opinions I've seen I don't trust opinion polls at all.
Even the best and most rigorously honest of polling companies have to weight their demos due to falling response numbers - how did this one do it? They never tell you that part in their methodology statements. And the demo most difficult to achieve is precisely the one most important to acquire. A fiddle is too easy.
Besides the dog hasn't been wagged yet.
Good points, Dana. Alison at Creekside has a post about polls and their limitations that you might find of interest:http://creekside1.blogspot.ca/2015/01/poll-23-of-us-are-con-loonies.html
Delete.. Its not hard to point to the tailings ponds of 'Conservative' values
ReplyDeleteThey're visible from outer space, in plain sight via news media & Twitter
and targets for any intelligent politician, curious student or pensioner
I especially like how bluntly each failure, broken 'promise', deceit
or conceit can be simply described for consideration and consequence ...
Here's an example ..
Our government, PM Harper, his political party, Nigel Wright, staffer Jenni Byrne, former spokespersons, current MP's, John Baird, Senators, PMO etc still choose to remain silent on the matter of Ken Morgan, 2011 Conservative campaign manager, Guelph
Mr Morgan, who cannot be found, & last seen in Kuwait UAR, accessed, had Party permission & legitimate passwords to CIMS voter database as well as the criminal Election Fraud Robocall account of Pierre Poutine, which he shared with at least one other campaign worker.
239 other ridings experienced similar Vote Suppression & Election Fraud with 'Bingo Cards' & CIMS voter data used to focus Robo & Live Call disinformation on non Conservative voters in vulnerable ridings with close contests, during the federal election.
Clearly, Salamander, from what you demonstrate here, the trail of Harper corruption is extensive and deep.
Delete