The Success of Canada’s Economic Action Plan
By, Thomas Bentham
COMM 386o – 002
Government Public Relations
Instructor Jeremy Berry
March 25, 2011
Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Introduction 3
Website, Twitter, and YouTube 5
Publicly Released Documents 6
Signage 7
Conclusion 8
References 8
Abstract
Every country has had the long road to recovery after the recession in 2007, and many countries are still feeling the effects. Canada has been noted as one of the first nations to be out of deficit and well on their way to recovery. This is because Canada had a timely and effective stimulus plan to support the countries hardest hit areas. This plan is a part of a strategic crisis management plan that is constantly developed and modified for the changing world. This plan has many aspects, and one of them is the communication and marketing of the initiatives done by the government. This essay will look at three of the communication and marketing tactics that were used and are still being used today. The analysis of these tactics will help shed light on the effectiveness it had on the way Canadians perceive the Canadian Economic Action Plan.
Introduction
In December 2007, the whole word endured a crushing blow to the global economy. We suffered from the worst global recession since the 1930’s. Some countries have had it worse than others, but all have had the long hard road to recovery. The global recession was triggered by a liquidity short fall in the United States (Ivry, 2008).
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Low interest mortgages were given to citizens who could not realistically pay them and banks folded. This left the U.S. with $11.25 trillion mortgages that were delinquent or in foreclosure (Ivry, 2008).
The ripple effect was fast and cut deep throughout the continents.
Canada and the United States could be described to have a very symbiotic relationship. Both countries benefit from each other, but if one decreases in productivity, the other is immediately affected. This is exactly what happened to Canada days after the recession hit. It was announced that Canada would follow the U.S. into a recession. But the Harper administration was confident that the Canadian market would recovery quickly (Flaherty, 2009).
Within 120 days, Harpers government would present the Canadian Economic Action Plan (Flaherty, 2009).
This plan would be the frontline in the battle to bring Canada back from deficit.
Within this plan, there would be a strong communication and marketing aspect that would help shape Canadians perspective on the government’s actions to rebuild the economy. The marketing and communication of Canada’s Economic Action Plan has effectively shown to the public that the government achieved their goals in presenting themselves as global leaders in recession turnaround.
The plan itself consisted of different ways to support the Canadian economy in specific areas. Tax relief for individuals, families and businesses is a large part of this. New personal income tax reductions for low- and middle-income Canadians were implemented to help individuals and families keep their money, save, and invest (What has been done, 2009).
Helping the unemployed through new Employment Insurance rates and offering training to aid in professional development in this knowledge based economy (What has been done, 2009).
To create jobs, the government would assign funds for the building of infrastructure within different sectors all over the country. Contributing funds to the enhancement of Canada’s postsecondary, research, technology and innovation would secure the longevity of Canadian knowledge economy and the creation of better jobs (What has been done, 2009).
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Supporting communities and industries through a $1-billion Community Adjustment Fund would help the most vulnerable areas of the country (What has been done, 2009).
Improving access to financing and strengthening Canada’s financial system would help keep Canadian banks rated number one over 130 countries in its “soundness of banks” criteria (What has been done, 2009).
Overall, the Canadian government would commit $246.3 billion to help protect job security and invest in the countries future prosperity (What has been done, 2009).
At the head of this plan were the communication and marketing efforts done by the government. It would be of the upmost importance to communicate with Canadian citizens that there is a plan in it is being taken into action. Plans for a crisis like a recession are always on a government’s radar. They hope for the best but always plan for the worst. A plan like this would entail, “developed checklists and guidelines for the elements that should be considered for inclusion in a crisis communication plan” (Lee, 2008, p.281).
Much of this plan was technological and much of it traditional. Although the actual communication plan is not for public viewing yet, we can view and critique the tactics the government has been using to communicate with the public. This essay will focus on three specific areas where the government used communication and marketing tactics.
These tactics include:
• Website, Twitter, and YouTube
• Publicly released documents
• Signage where action is taking place
Website, Twitter, and YouTube
The website is specific by displaying the goals right on the front page. The key messages that the government wants Canadians to hear are present and specific to the needs of Canada in this time of crisis.
The heading asks, “whats in it for me?” The links drive visitors to specific information on supporting job creation, supporting family and communities, investing in innovation, education and training, and preserving Canada’s fiscal advantage (Flaherty, 2009).
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Although there is no document to back it up, we can assume the website is being monitoring using some type of analytical program to measure the traffic on the site. This would tell the government where the visitors are going to retrieve information on the site. The government can then use this information to specify where information should go so that their message is being read and properly conveyed. An analytical program would tell the government everything from how many people are visiting, what search engine they are using, and what type of device they are using. This information will allow ultimate communication through their web site. The goals the website would have would be attainable through positive projection of the website, which they have been doing through signage (Boucher, 2010).
The timing of this site could not be better, launching March 2009 (Flaherty, 2010) the website is the key communication tool when providing full information to the public, quickly.
The use of only two forms of social media limits the reach of the plan, but is effectively used. Twitter is constantly updated with new and exciting announcements on progressions made. The use of social media meets responsible criteria in general policies and practices of use. They are relevant, timely, and consistent and they don’t add noise. Some tweets are general in nature. The following is a tweet captured from their twitter account; “CEAP is funding major projects at post-secondary institutions to provide better learning environments for students” (Economic Action Plan, 2011).
But many are specific to a topic, like the following from their Twitter account; “Hiring credit for small businesses will provide a one-year EI break for some 525,000 Canadian small businesses” (Economic action plan, 2010).
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This allows for specific messages to reach for specific targets.
The YouTube account is used to push the already being shown commercials used to convey the key messages of the action plan on television. This allows for viewers to visually grasp the key messages with well done professional caliber production.
Publicly Released Documents
The effective use of supporting documents increased the countries view of how credible the government’s efforts are. The government released seven full reports that are easily accessible and written for citizens. Each report follows the same outline. Overview, progression achieved to date, economic climate, and conclusions and next step (Flaherty, 2009, Flaherty, 2010, Flaherty, 2011).
These reports are easy to read and are not in a form where people can get deterred by large words. The reports were built to be read by Canadian citizens.
The language used in documents like this is key when achieving a communication goal. A government’s main communication goal, when trying to explain where they are spending enormous amounts of money, is to be as completely transparent as possible.
An example of this language goes as follows: “The International Monetary Fund has suggested that countries in a position to do so should inject fiscal stimulus of 2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to reduce the effects of a damaging global recession. Canada must join this effort” (Flaherty., 2009).
The language in the document are much of the same throughout. They use short, distinct words that are parallel with the average reading level of Canadians.
The website actually supports these document through a testimonial area called, “what they’re saying”. Examples of these testimonials pulled from the site go as follows:
“The Economic Action Plan was a partnership between governments to protect Canadians during a global crisis—and that partnership has delivered results. Municipalities are co-funding $10 billion worth of stimulus projects that will keep 100,000 Canadians on the job and supporting their families” (What they’re saying, 2010).
This testimonial, like others, comes from reputable sources like Hans Cunningham, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities from December 2010. Testimonials like this effectively reinforce the validity of the actions taken by the government.
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Signage
Signage was one of the most visually prominent tactics used by the government. As of March 10, 2010, 5,330 signs were installed at projects all over the country (Boucher, 2010).
It is almost like you cannot turn a corner without seeing one of these signs. The signs come in different sizes to suite the needs of the project, Larger sign for larger projects. They all have the same branding, which keeps up with the consistency needed in a plan such as this.
Every sign is equipped with a description on the project. Every description aligns with the key messages presented earlier in this essay. The most effective aspect of the sign is that they tell Canadians where their money is going and why.
Conclusion
With the recession now coming to an end and many countries turning the corner government can reflect and measure the effectiveness of their actions. While Canada has been seen as one of the best in recession turnaround, a lot of that is the successful communication and marketing of the plan. The marketing and communication of Canada’s Economic Action Plan has effectively shown to the public that the government achieved their goals in presenting themselves as global leaders in recession turnaround. With effective use of website, Twitter, and YouTube, publicly released documents and signage, the government has shown Canada that we are not called number one for no reason.
References
Boucher, S. (2010, April 16).
Signs, signs, everywhere an economic action plan sign. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from
Lee, M. (2008).
Government public relations a reader. Boca Raton, FL: Auerbach Publications.
Economic action plan (2011, February 17).
[Online Forum Comment]. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://twitter.com/economicplan
Economic action plan (2010, September 3).
[Online Forum Comment]. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://twitter.com/economicplan
Flaherty., J. Department of Finance, (2009).
Canada’s economic action plan (ISBN 9780660198538).
Ottawa, OT: Public Works and Government Services Canada. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2053/lib/mtroyal/docDetail.action?docID=10283040
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Flaherty, J. Department of Finance, (2009).
Canada’s economic action plan: a second report to canadians (ISBN 9781100128450).
Ottawa, OT: Public Works and Government Services Canada. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2053/lib/mtroyal/docDetail.action?docID=10350665
Flaherty, J. Department of Finance, (2009).
Canada’s economic action plan: a third report to canadians (ISBN 9781100137957).
Ottawa, OT: Public Works and Government Services Canada. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2053/lib/mtroyal/docDetail.action?docID=10339306
Flaherty, J. Department of Finance, (2010).
Canada’s economic action plan: a fourth report to canadians (ISBN 9781100143101).
Ottawa, OT: Public Works and Government Services Canada. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2053/lib/mtroyal/docDetail.action?docID=10350665
Flaherty, J. Department of Finance, (2011).
Canada’s economic action plan: a sixth report to Canadians, year three (ISBN 9781100170008).
Ottawa, OT: Public Works and Government Services Canada. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2053/lib/mtroyal/docDetail.action?docID=10425702
(N.A.), (2009, March 01).
What has been done. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://www.actionplan.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?featureId=4
Ivry, B. (2008).
paulson seeks mortgage value that eluded bear, lehman. Bloomburg, 1. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&refer=home&sid=aGT_xTYzbbQE
