Communications people (public relations and advertising) like to look at the "optics" of things like today's ceremonies in Halifax and St. John's.
Ideally, there is more to it than how things look, but how things look and what gets said can affect impressions and attitudes and those things, especially attitudes, influence behaviour. It's the behaviour - manifested as support and co-operation on core issues - that matters.
In "A tale of two cities", we took a look at the differing positions taken by NOIA, the local oil and gas industry association, and its Nova Scotia counterpart OTANS in the recent talks with Ottawa.
The optics were good for OTANS and decidedly bad for NOIA. Take a look at their respective websites and the news releases. At OTANS, they announced that they would be hosting the Nova Scotia signing ceremony. OTANS chairman Tim Brownlow is quoted as saying:
"OTANS is pleased to be able to host this historic event," says Tim Brownlow, Chair of the not-for-profit association. "We look forward to continuing to work with both levels of government to promote the development of the local offshore industry." [Emphasis added]
"Nova Scotians now understand they can truly benefit from the potential wealth the offshore brings to our province, ... We are seeing the start of a new era of economic opportunity in this region. Both Prime Minister Martin and Premier Hamm deserve all of our thanks and credit for their efforts on this agreement."
Now flip over to NOIA. The release notes that a great many NOIA members had attended the ceremony, as they had attended the ceremony in 1985.
President and CEO Leslie Galway said "Today's signing ceremony has indeed signified a new beginning and a new path for Newfoundland and Labrador as indicated by Premier Williams. We will now be able to invest today for our future, and it is only fitting that Newfoundland and Labrador's oil and gas industry has been recognized as an important and vibrant part of that future."
What Ms. Galway is referring to there when she mentions "the industry" is simply the provincial government revenue coming from oil and gas production, not anything her members have done. After all, the whole focus on "principle beneficiary" has little if anything to do with the efforts of her members. The oil and gas revenues come primarily from members of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) - those are the people who drill the holes and pump the oil and gas.
No mention either of the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada in Ms. Galway's' words of praise; there was an earlier mention of "vital individual roles in making today's signing a reality". The Prime Minister better not let that go to his head.
After the brief release, there are a few photographs of the ceremony, finishing with a picture of Ms. Galway shaking hands with the Premier.
To really drive home the difference in the two ceremonies, note the Prime Minister's remarks. In Nova Scotia, he praised OTANS and drew attention to the substantive benefits of offshore oil and gas development. The PM talked about local jobs, local business, exports and innovation as being the substantive benefits of the industry. He talked about promoting Atlantic Canada's oil and gas resources to the G7 finance ministers in 1995.
Both NOIA and OTANS have the same mandate: to promote development of the region's oil and gas industry and enhance their members' participation.
One of most significant aspects of offshore oil and gas that got lost in the past year's rhetoric has been the role played by local industries in bringing jobs and investment to the province. People seem to have forgotten the remarkable development of locally-based companies that have proven time and again they can deliver services of the best quality and at competitive prices, to the oil and gas industry around the globe.
Based on the optics of today's ceremony, which one delivered on its mandate for its members?