Propaganda and Advertizing

By Peter Jones

For some time now we have noticed advertizing on CBC Nightly Television News sponsored by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. Naturally these ads don’t make any mention of the issue that concerns us the most: climate change.

How do these ads effect opinions of Canadian voters about the tar sands? We have always assumed that many voters don’t share our overriding concern about climate change, and so would slowly but surely be influenced to take a more positive attitude towards the tar sands. Particularly since the ads hammer away explaining how the rest of Canada is prospering by the development of the tar sands – jobs, jobs jobs.

Mike Desouza, a national political correspondent for Postmedia news, commented on this advertizing.  The source of his comments was a freedom of information request directed to the Federal Government. The response he got shows how chummy the Department of the Environment (a Deputy Minister no less) is with lobbyists representing the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.  That is not a criticism – it is just a comment on how Ottawa works.

Desouza states:

“ An oil and gas marketing campaign * has boosted the image of oilsands companies, particularly among Conservative and Liberal party supporters in target markets of Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa, with a smaller impact on New Democrats, according to newly released industry polling data obtained by Postmedia News.”
(*Since removed from the CAPP Website.)

The data was in a Departmental briefing report to the Deputy Minister. The briefing report stated:

“. . .  the industry association’s polling data, compiled by Harris Decima, suggested that television ads, highlighting industry efforts to reduce water consumption and work with First Nations communities, were convincing Canadians that oil and gas companies were open about their operations and responding to public concerns about their environmental footprint.

“Both the new TV spots found high levels of credibility, with more than 70 per cent indicating that they found the material contained in the spots to be believable,” said the Harris Decima report, dated Sept. 26, 2011.

“And, in this wave, fully 75 per cent report having a favourable view of the campaign overall, the highest level measured to date.”

Exchanges between CAPP and the Department of the Environment were not all one sided.  The Department scientists raised serious issues about the environmental impact of the tar sands.  CAPP responded that they too took these issues seriously, and their ads were targeted at re-assuring Canadians.

The BIG environmental issue – climate change – was ignored by the Department and CAPP.  The issue is invisible amongst the “feel good” stories in the advertizing.  Just as we feared!