NOVEMBER 23, 2000
CWB OPPONENTS USE DECEPTION AND SECRECY
IN AN ATTEMPT TO TRICK FARMERS
SASKATOON, Sask.--"CWB-opponents are using misleading phone, mail, newspaper, and internet tactics in an attempt to accomplish by deception and secrecy what they have consistently failed to accomplish through an open, democratic process," said NFU Saskatchewan Board member Stewart Wells.
Farmers across the West received mailings that did not identify the sender and phone calls that did not identify the source. These letters and calls seem crafted to appear initially as official CWB or Election Coordinator communications. The aim appears to be to trick farmers into reading the documents and listening through the calls.
In one case, an Alberta farmer received a letter stating that he needed to return a Statutory Declaration before he could vote in the CWB election. Because it dealt with technical matters in the CWB election, the farmer's first impression was that it was from the Election Coordinator Meyers Norris Penny or the CWB. The letter ended by urging farmers to vote for candidates favouring an open market. The letter had neither letterhead nor signature and the envelope had no return address.
The mail campaign is coordinated and well-funded. By examining several different letters, it is obvious they all came from the same source. One organization has sent a set of letters to farmers in CWB election District 4 asking them to vote for candidates Strankman and Jackson; another set of letters to farmers in District 6 asking farmers to vote for candidates Leggott and Larson; and yet another set to various farmers across the west listing all the candidates which favour an open market.
Open-market advocates are also using misleading website names in an attempt to lure farmers to sites that promote CWB-opponents. A small number of well-known CWB-opponents that call themselves CARE (Choice, Accountability, Responsibility, and Efficiency) have set up a website called: www.cwbelectioninfo.com .
Last week, an automated telephone survey, that did not identify its funder, gave many farmers the impression that it was conducted by the CWB. The survey was paid for by CARE and other undisclosed parties and directed farmers to log into cwbelectioninfo.com .
The same organization behind the mailing campaigns is also running print ads in newspapers under the headline: "Important Voting Instructions." The ads do not list the party which placed and paid for them.
Wells observed: "The organization behind these newspaper, phone, and mail campaigns seems ashamed of its identity and record. This organization seems to think that if it attaches its name to these letters, ads, or calls that these communications will be discredited. CARE seems to have a major role in all of this. It is sad that an organization that advocates 'accountability' and 'responsibility' would package its message in such deceptive ways and then refrain even from putting its name on its work. Organizations that truly represent farmers' views and interests do not need to disguise their messages or hide their names. And those working in the best interests of the farm community do not resort to tricking their neighbors."
Alberta NFU member Dale Fankhanel questioned where the money was coming from. He stated: "Phone, direct mail, and print campaigns of this scale are very expensive. Are grain companies, railways, or commodity groups funding these deceptive campaigns? It would be an outrage if corporate money, deceptive tactics, and plain-brown-wrapper packaging were combined to steal the CWB from farmers."
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For More Information:
Stewart Wells, NFU Sask. Board member: (306) 773-6852
Dale Fankhanel, NFU Alberta member: (708) 877-2280
Darrin Qualman, Executive Secretary: (306) 652-9465