Canadian’s aren’t buying the snake oil you’re trying to sell, Harper

It appears the Cons. vaunted messaging isn’t getting across to Canadians, or they’re not as naive as Harper and the Cons. thought they were:

The Harper government is having a hard time convincing Canadians that it is different from Liberal predecessors when it comes to managing the public purse, market research conducted for Ottawa shows…A consulting firm hired by the Treasury Board conducted 14 focus groups in nine Canadian cities last fall to test marketing messages for the Harper government’s “new approach” to managing federal spending. The reaction was poor…The firm told Ottawa that receptiveness to messages about how the federal government is managing money hadn’t improved over last year, despite the fact the pitch included phrases that were especially designed to resonate, including “obtaining measurable results, taxpayers’ money, value for money and reflecting Canadians’ priorities.”

Not only was the reaction poor, but Canadian’s aren’t buying the most common excuse this Cons government has used since it came to power, which is to blame the Liberals or anyone else other then themselves:

The Conservatives frequently blame the former Liberal governments’ 13-year tenure when they face criticism. But the research report warned this doesn’t work. “When an acknowledgement of problems is accompanied by any detectable attempt to lay blame or pass the buck, the behaviour is seen as consistent with that of previous governments,” the report said.

As my one guest-blogger Joseph said to me, the character of this government is enough to defeat this government - the sooner the better.