Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 22, 2013, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A4 A 4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, MONDAY, JULY 22, 2013 TOP NEWS winnipegfreepress. com .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Fabricland Sewing Club Members Value Hotline 1- 866- R- FABRIC WINNIPEG .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. STORE HOURS: .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. WHOLESALE PRICING AVAILABLE * Refers to Fabricland Sewing Club Members O TTAWA - Slick television ads this year for the Harper government's " economic action plan" appear to be inspiring a lot of, well, inaction. A key measure of the ads' impact is whether viewers check out actionplan. gc. ca, the web portal created in 2009 to promote the catch- all brand. But a survey of 2,003 adult Canadians completed in April identified just three people who actually visited the website. The Harris- Decima poll for the Finance Department also delivered some of the worst results among nine viewer- reaction surveys commissioned since the actionplan ads were launched for the pivotal 2009 budget. Just six per cent of those who said they recalled the TV ads that began running in February this year reported doing anything as a result. That's the worst result for followup action of any survey. The best was an August 2009 survey that found 25 per cent of respondents saying they took advantage of a temporary home- renovation subsidy. And among the few people who took action, nine said all they did was complain or " express displeasure" about the 30- second TV spots, dismissed by critics as thinly veiled Conservative propaganda. The poll - mandatory under federal advertising rules - did not report anyone who called the tollfree number shown on screen, 1- 800- O- Canada, another explicit goal of the ad campaign. Harris- Decima also asked: " How would you rate the overall performance of the Government of Canada," the same question asked in the other eight surveys. Previous results from 2009 to 2012 showed an average of 43 per cent of respondents rating the government from good to excellent. The latest survey found only 38 per cent giving a positive endorsement, a trough hit only once before, in 2010. Other questions about providing information or communicating effectively also produced relatively poor grades. The telephone survey was conducted between March 19 and April 3, with the margin of error at plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The Canadian Press obtained the $ 29,000 poll under the Access to Information Act. Other surveys have found Canadians increasingly bored and annoyed by the action- plan branding on TV, radio, newspapers and online, to say nothing of the ubiquitous signage at federally supported building sites across the country. The government has already spent about $ 113 million on action- plan promotion in the last four years, and in May issued a tender for more such ads over the next year, and perhaps running to 2016. Finance Department action- plan polling has so far cost taxpayers $ 330,000. The 30- second TV spots that appeared February to April showed workers building a plane, a car and a ship while a narrator refers to apprenticeship grants, student loans and innovative research. Those were a rerun of ads from last fall. " Total partisan bunk," said Liberal MP Scott Brison, the party's chief critic of the ads, some of which he said cost nearly $ 100,000 for 30 seconds of airtime during this year's NHL playoffs. " This has been a gross failure in terms of value for tax dollars," Brison said in an interview from Cheverie, N. S. " The ads ought to be paid for by the Conservative Party of Canada, not by the Canadian taxpayer, who derives no benefit from them." The NDP's Mathieu Ravignat said he's not surprised the info- light ads - which he called propaganda - are getting little traction. " They're creating apathy rather than actually engaging citizens, and that's because they have really no important content," he said from Quyon, Que. " They're a bad investment." A spokesman for the Finance Department said other surveys show overall awareness of the government's action- plan campaign has risen to a high of 62 per cent this year from a low of 20 per cent in 2009. Jack Aubry also said traffic to the action- plan website increased markedly during the winter campaigns - which included TV, radio, print and online ads - to 12,600 visits each day from a baseline of 2,300. The department said it could not yet provide final costs for the winter TV ads. On the web, the TV ad that was the focus of the survey is: actionplan. gc. ca/ en/ video/ canadas- economic- action- plan- working- canadians. - The Canadian Press Very few visitors to feds' website for ' action plan' Poll echoes earlier negative indica- By Dean Beeby ' They're creating apathy rather than actually engaging citizens, and that's because they have really no important content' - NDP MP Mathieu Ravignat on the TV ads OTTAWA, Ont. - Canada's foreign affairs minister has spoken to senior Palestinian and Israeli officials to offer his support in efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table. John Baird's office says he placed phone calls on Sunday to his counterpart in the Palestinian Authority, Riyad al- Malki, and Israel's chief negotiator with the Palestinians, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. He commended both countries for agreeing to meet in Washington in the coming days and weeks. U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Friday the two sides had reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming negotiations, but cautioned the details are still being worked out. A government official says Baird told Livni Sunday Israel would have to make hard compromises, and the pressure would be on the Israelis going forward. The official says Baird's message to al- Malki was that this is an opportunity that shouldn't be allowed to slip away. " This was an opportunity that we should not lose," the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Baird told the Palestinian foreign minister. On Sunday, Palestinian officials made it clear there is no clear path to a resumption of talks. They said their key demand remains: Ahead of any talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must accept Israel's pre- 1967 frontier as the starting point for drawing the border of a future state of Palestine. Palestinian sources also indicated a resumption of talks is not a done deal, saying negotiators for the two nations would have to hold more talks about starting negotiations. Netanyahu's right- wing allies were adamant Israel would not budge on the issue of 1967 borders, and Netanyahu appeared to be trying to lower expectations about any future negotiations. - The Canadian Press Baird lauds Mideast peace bid URIEL SINAI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beneath a portrait of former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center on the 100th anniversary Sunday of Begin's birth. A_ 04_ Jul- 22- 13_ FP_ 01. indd A4 7/ 21/ 13 9: 35: 13 PM ;