If not, you will be - by the firm Prime Contact - who are working either for the BC Liberal Party or the so-called "Smart Tax Alliance" - the big business group spending millions to promote the Harmonized Sales Tax.
I was called at home on Tuesday May 31 at 8:15 p.m. from telephone number 604-283-1504 and I've since talked to half a dozen other people who got the identical robo call.
What is a "robo call"? It's a fully automated call that records your responses entered on your telephone keypad and then reports back to the robot's masters.
This call from the Hamilton Ontario-based firm was very simple.
First question: "Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST?" Yes or No?
Second question: "What age range are you?" Under 18, 18 to 34, 35 to 54 or 55 and older?
Third question: "Are you male or female?"
And that's all folks.
Prime Contact has worked for right-wing Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and several federal Liberal Party candidates and - probably - the BC Liberal Party in the 2009 provincial election. The firm's website says it worked in that election.
They also do automated polling as well as holding "telephone town halls" - something the BC Liberal government has been doing continually on the HST - with your tax dollars of course.
Prime Contact claims that: "We define ourselves by winning elections, especially the close ones and those that people say are impossible to win! We are passionate when it comes to grassroots campaigning and we want to help you win."
Here's how they describe their service:
"Automated Voter Identification Surveys
When faced with contacting thousands of voters without the budget for Live Agent Voter ID, use our AutoID system to get the job done. As Election Day approaches, it's important to know who your voters are and what is important to them. With our new technology, even small campaigns can afford voter ID. This can make the difference on Election Day.
Our automated ID technology is accurate, cost effective, and will generate valuable voter data for your direct mail and Get-Out-The-Vote efforts. With PrimeContact, you can acquire the key information you need to win.
We'll save you time. With volunteers, identifying support can take a long time. Not only do you have to recruit the volunteers, but you are unlikely to be able to use every available phone all day. However, with Automated Voter ID we can get started immediately and generate tens of thousands of phone calls every day."
Will robots save the HST? One thing is clear - they can't vote!
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29 comments:
Interesting!
I got the same call but the way they worded the question was very confusing for someone who hasn't paid much attention to the issue, so I ended up choosing undecided because there was no option to ask them to repeat the question.
I guess the thing to do is to say that you support the HST even if you don't then the Liberals will waste time and money calling you.
Think smart over throw the liars.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that automatic dialing was illegal in BC.
Even if they are from Ontario they are using a BC exchange number.
We got the same call and hung up when the first question came up.Prior to that some calls came in that can't handle a answering machine so we no longer answer until someone actually starts talking. No money for crippled kids but lots for political BS.
You guys have all the fun! No one called me for the telephone town halls. I never got a robo-call. That's not fair!
I agree with Universal Titan. Be like the Liberals, lie, lie, and lie some more. That way when the vote does happen they will be totally confused by the results as they won't have seen it coming. I can't think of a better way to slap these liars down.
Smart Tax Alliance in 2010 was spouting this:
"Harmonization is expected to create 113,000 jobs and lead to $11.5 billion in capital investment by 2020."
For a full disclosure on who STA is:
http://www.bcchamber.org/news/files/sta_news_release_june_2010.pdf
Source: http://www.policynote.ca/the-smart-tax-alliance-non-partisan-really/
My employer attached a piece of pro-hst propaganda he had written to everyones pay stub. I threw it out before reading, before leaving work even.
How about ending calls from NDP candidates during elections?
I have never seen any government so desperate for money that they would spend 10's of MILLIONS of dollars to lubricate a propaganda machine. As U Titan said, "overthrow the liars".
I received an invite to a town hall meeting. I received 2 invites to an HST survey just yesterday. The call display indicated 604-283-1504 and 1-905-507-8885 (Ontario).
If you decide to participate in one of these propaganda fests, you give the Libturds an opportunity to spread their lies. DON'T PARTICIPATE.
Vote your conscience, but please vote the criminals into extinction this fall. Yes, THIS fall. October 24 or so.
My employer attached a piece of pro-hst propaganda he had written to everyones pay stub. I threw it out before reading, before leaving work even.
The unions do the same thing, sending NDP propaganda to its members telling them to vote for certain candidates in civic, federal and provincial elections.
Best thing is to just throw it out before reading it, into the trash can next to the time clock.
I spent over 13 years in two national unions. In both I was a table officer. I never heard of the NDP ever sending anything to the membership asking for support. Both unions had in their constitutions a section forbidding the executive from sending money to any party. as in any democratic association, members chose who to support , or work for on their off time.
Anon 11:59 is blowing smoke Mind you way back when I was in the air Force we were told Vote Liberal or starve to death.
( different Liberals)
Think about it. What sort of society are we living in ("democracy?") that we get these impersonal automated robo-calls to manipulate us? What kind of a version of "reality" do they present? Are they even legal? How can this type of manipulation be called a "free vote?"
"They can't vote"
That is because you lefties hate free speech. Money is speech, money buys robots therefore robots should have the vote.
Got the "Robot" call last night and just hung up into the first prerecorded sentence. I didn't worry about being impolite( I'm canadian, after all) because ...it wasn't a real person! Just an agency wanting my information to assemble into their polls. Same old-same old...just like before the fed. election.
I was watching TVO (satellite TV) The Agenda with Steve Paikin who had a panel discussing the sickening overuse of the mantra "Families of Ontario" by All parties in their Ontario legislature. The concensus was how disrespectful to the voters to assume "Ontario families" wanted this or that or didn't like this or that or the most obnoxious catch phrase quoted in the Ontario media was "Families of Ontario" woke up to hear that Bin Laden had been assasinated". So Ontario Families are getting sick and tired of being the poster boy for every party going; without their input or consent!!!
Reminded me of what I've been hearing lately from our copy cat liberal premier here in B.C. who likes her "Families First" mantra pasted onto everything she pronounces, without consulting or researching what B.C. people in general need and want regardless of whether they are connected to an immediate family. That Agenda panel discussed at length the psychological unseen tags that are connected to the connotation of "family".
I don't like being used for propoganda purposes, Ms. Clark.
spent over 13 years in two national unions. In both I was a table officer. I never heard of the NDP ever sending anything to the membership asking for support. Both unions had in their constitutions a section forbidding the executive from sending money to any party. as in any democratic association, members chose who to support , or work for on their off time.
Obviously doesn't know the BC public service unions are quite different. The Vancovuer Labour Council had always insisted on sending out materials to local members, and the BCGEU's endorsement of the NDP is legendary.
Also consider that union funds from union memberships went to the NDP. It was not a member by member decision.
I said, Oh, for &+*%%$$$$ sakes, take a long walk, off a short pier. And don't come up for air.
I am so sick of the BC Liberals b.s. The corrupt court, corrupt judges, corrupt police, corrupt Elections BC. Their corrupt politicians. The BC Liberals, media propaganda machine. That stupid call, topped it all off. I was not even civil, and I don't intend to be, towards this, BC Liberal crime family. They are absolute idiots. If they are afraid they won't win, they will cheat.
Falcon said he didn't have to honor the vote even if, by a nano chance we did win. We have seen BC Liberal corruption, for over ten years now. What has changed? Nothing. Christy is a Campbell clone in a skirt. She uses every dirty tactic in the book, just as Campbell did. Campbell cheated and lied twice, to be re-elected.
Good grief!!! Christy's asinine families first, is wearing a little this. What a crock. The HST has done more to hurt families, than anything else.
Cut the crap Christy, we are sick of your lies and b.s. You are not trusted nor believed. Put your hockey jersey on, or put your umbrella photo on line, you know, your photo shoot, out side the election halls doors, on voting day.
On another topic, have you seen this: http://thetyee.ca/News/2011/05/26/WikileaksAlbertaElectricity/
I got called too @ 5:25; I always lie on these surveys about age and sex.
And on most of the other answers. ^%$# em.
Anon 10:24 and I sure must have belonged to a different Vancouver Labour Council. I went to those meetings all the time I lived in Vancouver, and yes some candidates showed up and not always got undivided attention.If the BCGEU as a democratic organization provided funds to one particular party, I figure the manjority of the members approved, or some table officers would have been booted out of their positions. That of course begs the question.How many companies pressure their employees to vote for a certain party and how many companies spend big bucks with no approval of anyone but themselves.I'd say quite a lot as well over 60 percent of the money to the BC Liberals comes from companies.BUt anon has lured us away from the column subject which is robot calls and how many people find them offensive
I just hung up.
I thought when you registered for not wanting calls, there is a criteria. One being that if it's political, they can call. Aren't the lieberals sayign this is not politics, but about the HST and how good it is for us, and that they arerepresenting "all" citizens"? Bull$hit. So maybe this needs to be reported to the CRTC?
I am so tired of all these #hit calls. I'm to the point I don't care who it is calling, I just hang up or ignore the call. It's that simple.
I went to those meetings all the time I lived in Vancouver, and yes some candidates showed up and not always got undivided attention.
so why would the Vancouver Labour Council endorse COPE CNDP candidates over others??
The same thing occured in Burnaby with the Burnaby Teachers. it was their insistence that teachers there vote only for the NDP candidates and no one else.
"If the BCGEU as a democratic organization provided funds to one particular party, I figure the manjority of the members approved, or some table officers would have been booted out of their positions."
From accounts from friends who belonged that union, that wasn't the case. What should have been done is a per by person decision as to where an apportion of union dues goes. But that was never done. Ever.
" That of course begs the question.How many companies pressure their employees to vote for a certain party and how many companies spend big bucks with no approval of anyone but themselves.I'd say quite a lot as well over 60 percent of the money to the BC Liberals comes from companies.BUt anon has lured us away from the column subject which is robot calls and how many people find them offensive"
Actually very few. It is agains the law for employers to use duress to persuade employees to vote one or another or lose their jobs.
I do find robot calls offensive, from ANY candidate or ANY party!
Former MLA Rick Thorpe did a study of the PST v. HST a few years before Harper and Campbell colluded to bring the HST to BC.
Thorpe concluded that the PST was the best way to go, and the HST was not in our best interest.
Does anyone have a copy of the Thorpe report?
Thanks
Bill, you need a headline, or even a continuous banner making it clear that voters have to vote YES to kill the HST. The question is counter-intuitive and some unattentive people may vote the opposite of what they think they are voting for. With this entry, you highlight the NO which may get people thinking yah, I'll vote no in the referendum.
http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=ed1b48b2-5480-493a-805b-ff46830decec&sponsor=
Carole Taylor and Rick Thorpe. What more do you need?
WHERE IS THE STUDY?
Carole Taylor, Hansen's predecessor as finance minister, presided over an extensive study of harmonization during the Liberals' second term.
She concluded that while many businesses could benefit, the tax shift would be punishing for provincial consumers and, not incidentally, for the politicians who depend on their support to get elected.
Asked point-blank whether the B.C. Liberal government would harmonize the provincial sales tax with its federal counterpart, Taylor's reply was succinct and final: "Not on my watch." - April 3, 2010 - Vaughn Palmer, The Vancouver Sun
I got one of these calls last week and assumed it was a legitimate polling company. I answered honestly. If I had known I would have been less forthcoming.
What I find disgusting about this robot calling is that The Smart Tax Alliance spouts about all the job creation the HST will deliver but won't hire a company that uses real people earning real wages to carry out this work. The cheap SOBs.
Fair warning to Josh Justice... you're annoying the hell out of people with your Robo-Calls.
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