Narrative Advocacy Media is a Toronto-based PR firm (whose clients include the Ontario government and provincial Liberals).
On November 2nd, they issued this news release on behalf of the Canadian Wheat Board. It included this link to print and radio ad files.
The ads were created by Bensimon and Byrne, a Toronto-based ad agency.
This print ad appeared in the Toronto-based Globe and Mail. The newspaper placement alone cost an estimated $72,000.
Click for full size
The radio ads are running in the Toronto and Ottawa markets only.
All paid for by prairie farmers.
Related – Wheat Growers to launch legal action against the CWB
As I have suggested previously the new Auditor General should be looking at the books of the CWB asa soon as possible. How is it going to be any different than other Libel fiefdoms. Featherbedding and skimming is probably rampant. Every appointment and contract should be reviewed.
As I have suggested the bill for the ads should be charged to the directors. Running an NDP political campaign should not be paid by Western farmers.
It is so obvious that the economics of the Wheat Board are bad – Quebec is not whining to get in.
I guess they can’t run that ad on the prairies, lest they instigate gales of laughter.
Heard the radio ad today. The actual content was, of course, laughable at first and then increasingly irritating — especially the part where the “farmer” essentially says he’s too dumb to sell his produce in the open marketplace. If I were a farmer, I’d be pissed off at that alone.
The accent in the radio ad is quite remarkable. Can anyone place it?
What’s the problem? The CWB is reaching out to its constituents – metrosexual Globe readers.
“says he’s too dumb”
Yeah, heard that one this morning on a Toronto radio station. The accent was insulting, made him sound like the Trawna stereotype of a Western farmer. I can’t understand what the strategy here is, unless they’re trying the usual activist strategy of creating a helpless victim. Or they hate Harper and just hope to make him sound bad, despite how insulting the approach is.
The voice in the spot is a Manitoba farmer.
They probably never expected the Harperites to ever get a majority, much less actually follow through on their promise to disband their grain racket.
Now they’re panicking at the thought of the inside dope being spilled as the org implodes. Charges are no doubt warranted, but will never be filed.
The Schadenfreude, however, is already delicious.
Backroom deals in the world market using monopoly control of channels to market, or, how to get ahead in the UN without really trying.
From the Librano Handbook.
What about those oil for wheat shiploads and LOCs signed over to 3rd parties by a certain bank in Paris?
Imagine what a truthful graphic of Libranos doing Canadian taxpayers would look like. At least a roller doesn’t have sharp edges or a pointy bit.
By all means I hope the Librano MSM keeps this file open.
Yep, having a hard time defending their Prairie skimming operation, known as the CWB. So the ads are not running in the actual prairies where they grow the wheat.
These characters would be amending the Lord’s prayer too;
“Give us this day our daily CWB ration…”
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
I find it interesting the flour mill in Port Colborne, Ontario just celebrated it’s centennial as an operating mill, using technology which appears to be quite old. (possibly someone will be able to confirm or deny this).
The point of this post however is that this mill is owned by ADM, which is one of the largest food distribution, if not the largest, in the world.
The question I have is this “small” milling company maintained because it was not possible for Western Canada grain growers to process their own crops closer to the harvest?
Interestingly, the M.P. for the riding which includes Port Colborne was a Liberal riding for many years and is now a N.D.P. riding with the Conservatives nipping at the N.D.P. heels. Cheers;
its like an animal in its death throes , anxiously lashing out in isolation.
next will be the CBC, however, because their loan job is to jabber they will have to cut the power and the money on the same day.(and move Rex Murphy to the staff of the PMO)
This legislation to eliminate the board and then om to getting rid of the CBC.
Hmm, strange the that plebiscite doesn’t allow you to fill in your own comments…
https://www.cwb.ca/sdb/corp/respectplebisciteemail.nsf/SubEmailWeb?OpenForm
Do western farmers want to be the only farmers subjected to the CWB which frankly the CWB means ‘CANADIAN'(all of canada)or, do they want the rest of ‘canadian’ wheat farmers from others parts of canada to be subjected to the same process?
It looks to me that the opposition are playing region against region.
CWB may have of some use once upon a time but like unions it has taken a toll on farmers western farmers from selling their own grain because of fear that they will go to jail.
Instead of the opposition giving and respecting the western farmers’ choice of selling their own produce, they treat the western farmers as ignorant, imbecile and stupid. It costs the farmers thousands of their own money to produce wheat therefore should get the full amount back after the sale of their wheat.
And another thing why are the opposition so against our western farmers choosing which way they want to sell.
During the the time when Ralph Goodale was agriculture minister,he passed legislation making CWB employies IMMUNE to prosecution for any miss deeds that they may have done.Does that tell you anything.
Its about time the western farmers launched their own legal action against cwb, Long overdue and glad to see them take action.
And as someone else said A full Audit should be the next order of the day, Along with a few other Liberal(Canadian) Institutions & Those hands off accounts(Foundations) the Liberals set up back a number of yrs ago.
Hopefully when the CWB is done like dinner we will get some action.
BTW, the print ad is running in the National Post as well, and although I don’t read the Red Star, doubtless it’s there too.
And perhaps someone who actually farms can tell me: I remember reading years ago that US farmers would be on their tractors, listening to commodity prices while they worked their fields.
Why would a farmer have to sell to a US multinational? Couldn’t they just sell futures on the grain market, and arrange for delivery? Since there are crops not handled by the CWB, how do farmers sell those crops now, and why would the situation be any different for wheat? I’d appreciate any education readers can offer.
See what happens when you allow a commie organization to “function”? And I thought Russia had imploded.What would be a good idea is if the wheat farmers all said screw you CWB,and all raised rape seed for a year.Yeah I know a loaf of bread would cost 10 bucks,but some times drastic measures are needed.
Lot’s of wheat growers in the metro Toronto/Ottawa area…
Easy issue to deal with…FIRE THEM ALL!
Jeez. I grew up one town over from Beausejour, which is where the rube voicing the ad came from, and I’ve never, ever heard such a hayseed accent like that. “Owt of my deppit?”
No wonder they’re not running those here yet. They’d be laughed off the air.
Are they telling Ontario and Quebec that they should also come under the scope of the CWB?
Why not?
Scar >
“Quebec is not whining to get in.”
What more needs to be said about it!
Ah yes playing to the old stereotypes. Farmers = Stupid. I wonder if any of those CWB elites realize most farmers are better educated than they are? The farmers I know have been using on line trading for years to sell their non-board crops and play the futures market. Probably the CWB doesn’t even know that the old country elevator doesn’t exist anymore and the Crow Rate went the way of the dodo bird decades ago.
In response to KevinB @ 11:57a.m.
Alot of farmers, be they grain or livestock producers, follow the commodity markets daily.
Not unlike paying close attention to the stock market prices.”Limit down” is one scary phrase.
Because we are FREE east of Manitoba, to do as we want, there are many options available:
*You can forward contract with a licensed grain elevator, whatever commodity you are planning on growing, whenever you feel the price is right for you.
Whenever you harvest that booked price per tonne is what you receive as payment.
*You can wait ’til you actually do the harvest to sell and thus avoid the weather factors (HAIL) that could destroy your crop and you have nothing to fill an already booked contract. If you have already booked a contract you must fill it regardless of what you may have to pay to get the commodity to do so.
*You can store the grain to be sold at some future date. Again using a future contract or gambling that market conditions down the road will be such that cash prices will be greater than what the future contract was.
*You can sell to other farmers/ranchers. Usually livestock producers that need grain for finishing hogs or beef for high moisture grains for silo’s and bunkers.
That’s kinda the jist of how we roll…
> Just text FARMER to 24680 to have a letter sent to Canada’s MPs
So anyone who wants to pay 15 cents can send 320 letters, one to every MP?
Does the texter’s name and address get attached to the letter? Or is this just an anonymous letter?
Can someone who wants to pay $150 send 320,000 letters, 1000 to every MP?
And, BTW, there’s no mention of what the letter says. For all we know, it could say “end the seal hunt in Newfoundland” or “I support painting Parliament orange and purple”. I don’t *think* the CWB would do that. But then, it just says “a letter” 🙂
You need a Prairie Farmer Spring…
is there a YT of this hayseed hick they’ve dug up for this commercial?
This just infuriates me. As a wheat producer the cost is borne by myself and anyone who is in the pools. These ads are being played in areas out of the ‘designated area’. Oberg wont stop till he has spent all he can. Fire his ass immediately and stop this costly circus.
This is how the CWB treats economic freedom.
Glengarrian:
Thanks, that was enlightening. Would I be correct in asserting that the CWB’s argument that wheat farmers are at the mercy of ADM and others is specious?
My opinion is, when the sun comes up the day after the CWB monopoly dies, Western producers will have the very same buyers that they have already. The big players are the big buyers now and it has been that way for quite some time.
The only difference is there will be the FREEDOM of choice for those west of Ontario.
They can do want they want with their own grain…make bird seed out of it, bag it to burn in grain pellet stoves, any darn thing they take the notion to do with THEIR own product.
Ken (Kulak) had a very good analogy a few days back about the CWB and rats. The squealing we hear out of the radio now, with these dreadful ads, is the CWB rats cornered.
Lot’s of wheat growers in the metro Toronto/Ottawa area…
Posted by: ryan;-P at November 4, 2011 12:00 PM
Ryan, I was thinking the same thing. I would hazard a guess that most of them wouldn’t recognize a steam roller anyway, let alone know its use. For all they know, it IS used to harvest Canadian wheat.
No prizes to the advertising crew that came up with this dud.
I’ve always wondered why no one has publicly asked the question: if the Canadian Wheat Board is such a great idea for farmers, why aren’t the wheat and barley farmers of Eastern Canada and parts of B.C. not clamoring to get in.
The CWB has 3 full time graphic artists on staff. This campaign must have been too big for them. I’m trying to figure out why a monopoly needs even one graphic artist, but thats another story.
test
How is it,
That the CWB that supposedly serves the prairie farmers, is seated in Manitoba and has nothing to do with the farms east of Manitoba border, is advertising in Toronto media?
Why would anybody whatsoever in Ontario, care what the wheat board wants.
Of course those that went to school for long time to come up with that, must be some kind of geniuses, how else would they come up with advertising in that province.
It’s like advertising disappearing habitat of Calgary downtown ducks and gese, in Borkina Faso.
Well … to a prairie grain farmer it must be salt in a wound.
But I do beleieve there is just a bit of irony in the tactics being employed …. revealing the deep seated LIberal mindset in the board’s management.
Not to mention the actual and obvious LIberal connections.
A Pavlovian response if ever there was one … next step will be blame the farmers (again) who just don’t get it. … now that is kinda funny.
I highly suspect that their next move will be sidesteps … stage left…..
Oddly enough, there are residents of the Toronto area that vote in these CWB plebiscites and CWB board elections. If they are named on a CWB cash ticket and share in any grain grown in the CWB prarie region they receive a vote.
Would their names be Richardson by any chance?
Andy Baker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpOAVWxaWS8
Kate you have to fix the headline on that ad with the steamroller on it.
“This Is How The Harper Gubbermint Handles Canadian Liberals…”
I said it years ago on this blog; until some, Sask AB Man. farmer has the balls to take this CWB BS to the Human rights board, i.e.; it is a violation of my human rights in AB to not be able to sell my wheat like my cousin in Ont., this would have been the perfect way to slay 2 stinking liberal money theft facilities in one fell swoop, the wheat board and the HRC. This Oberg can feel his sphincter puckering as he writes every cheque out of the farmers accounts for this despicable advertising, if I had money coming from these commies in the Wheat board, I would be on the phone every day, chances of getting paid your final payments are quickly disappearing, the end of July 2012 will come and this Oberg bastard will say, sorry there is no money to pay you suckers, we blew it on sorry steamroller ads, just watch!
I detect some irony in that this CWB eastern Canada media campaign underlines the obvious…that the CWB is appealing to it’s constituency, the eastern Canadian leftists, to benefit CWB employees, de facto “swivel servants”…rather than the Western Canadian farmers, it claims to represent the interests of, by law.
It is blatantly obvious that the CWB employs an inefficient, leftist bureaucracy at the expense of the Western Farmer.
The simple fact is that Candian farmers can get a better price by selling to US buyers in North Dakota than the CWB….by cutting out the farmer supported CWB “swivel servant” middle men.
I recall abandoning finishing beef because it simply was not profitable….due to factors other than the marketing….
At that time, 70-80’s, the best return was to sell directly to the Meat Packers on a “rail grade basis”.
Basically the Packers employed buyers to purchase livestock at auction….the buyer had to involve a negative margin when estimating the “dressing percentage”(the percentage of saleable meat after the critter was slaughtered and dressed).
IOW if the buyer guessed a 59% dressing percentage, the buyer bid on a basis of say 50-52%….guaranteeing a loss to the producer and minimizing a loss to the packer.
Selling directly to the packer eliminated this negative margin and the costs of the auction barn.
Basically the Packer bought the meat on the hook rather than on the hoof…avoiding that discouting. Back in the $70’s-80’s this resulted in about $100-150 per head… reducing the profit even further.
Related but slightly OT, the NDP, Librano minority coalition are complaining bitterly in the House, that the current government is appointing uni-lingual anglo-phones, promising to learn french, to such things as the auditor general or the Supreme Court bench….
The opposition is complaining bitterly that this is dismantling/chipping away the policy of official bilingualism….while appointing uni-lingual Franco-phones, who never attain a true working ability in English.
Official bi-lingualism in reality mean being fuent in French and perhaps learning some english…it seems the reverse is unacceptable to the Canadian left/francophones.
agreed, these free loading cwb parasites are not interested in farmers welfare, they are only concerned about their own, at the farmers expense.
hopefully the two delegates who just resigned can shed a little light on the corruption that is going on at the cwb.
i understand they have been called to ottawa.
My father, normally very conservative, grew up on a Sask farm, and he’s against removing the CWB because “it will mean the end of the family farm”. I haven’t pressed him for an explanation – does anyone know what’s behind that fear?
The ad says, “62% of wheat farmers want to keep” the board.
This is irrelevant, and Oberg et al know it. The important fact is that the other 38% have the right to market their own grain however they please. The 62% do not have the right to coerce them. They are about to lose that ability, which they have had through legislation.
Here’s an analogy. 62% of shoppers may use Crest toothpaste, but that doesn’t mean the other 38% have to use Crest too.
Furthermore, a government body should not be advertising to save its own butt. It’s supposed to carry out government policy, not express opinions on it. An exception might be ideas about how to do things more efficiently.
That looks like a lot of money to spend on a campaign that is certainly not part of the CWB’s core duty. Does a director of the CWB have any legal duty to those he represents? Could a farmer sue a director for breach of fiduciary duty?
“My father, normally very conservative, grew up on a Sask farm, and he’s against removing the CWB because “it will mean the end of the family farm”. I haven’t pressed him for an explanation – does anyone know what’s behind that fear?”
It is always counter intuitive and against human nature to put one’s faith in free markets ahead of government fiat. That has been shown again and again.
Tell your Dad to simply look at the number of farms extant when the CWB started and look at the number of farms now. Over 68 years that number is going to decline under any system, but there isn’t an area anywhere in the world, that has seen a greater decline in farm numbers than Western Canada, and yet we still hear that old shibboleth “the end of the CWB means the end of the family farm”. Sixty eight years ago; if the government had been purposely looking for a way to lower farm numbers, an effective vehicle to do that would have been the institution of centralized marketing and planning. Oh wait, that has already happened.