The Maple Crown
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
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Canadians enjoying their national past time.
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Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau
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October 7, 2015 - In the United States, 11 weeks of an election campaign season is nothing. Ted Cruz was the first presidential candidate to announce his candidacy and he did so on March 23, 2015, a full 84 weeks before Election Day. In fact, you could say that the race for the White House doesn’t actually have a start date but is ongoing. Priorities USA Action is a Super PAC that supported President Barack Obama’s candidacy in 2012. When that election was over, it began to raise money for Hillary Clinton for her 2016 campaign.
However, 11 weeks is an important span of time because that is how long the current election season in Canada will last. On August 2, 2015, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked the Governor General for permission to form a new government and set October 19 as Election Day. That’s 78 days, wire to wire. Despite this, many critics complain that this is actually too long—at 11 weeks, the Canadian campaign season will be the longest in that nation’s history since the grueling 96-day campaign of 1872.
Much of the furor over the length of the campaign is due to the fact that Canadian taxpayers subsidize their elections, and a longer election season means that more public money will be given to the parties that are running.
This month’s election will pit Harper’s Conservative government against a number of rival parties who are betting that Canada is ready for a change. Harper has been PM since 2006, and has ruled with an outright majority since 2008—a rare feat in Canada’s parliamentary system. Usually, no single party has over 50% of the seats in government and must inevitably form a coalition of parties in order to get anything done.
Current opinion polls indicate that a coalition government is likely to be in Canada’s future. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party is trailing the Conservatives by a few points (32% to 31%, respectively), but the third place New Democratic Party (25%) will likely join with the Liberals to form the government and push the Conservatives into the opposition. It’s one of the peculiarities of the parliamentary system—Harper’s party might get more votes than any other party but could still lose his position as Prime Minister.
Fearing the possibility that the 43-year-old Trudeau could become the next Prime Minister, the Conservative party has been on the attack. Trudeau’s youth, good looks, and the fact that he is the son of a former Prime Minister have all been used against him to suggest that he is not ready for Canada’s top job. For example, file footage shows Trudeau engaging in a strip tease on stage in one ad. The Liberals countered that ad with a rebuttal—their commercial explains that the strip tease was during a fundraising benefit to cure liver cancer (though they, too, show the footage). The first rule of politics is if you have a candidate sexy enough to do a strip tease, you might as well show him off.
However, 11 weeks is an important span of time because that is how long the current election season in Canada will last. On August 2, 2015, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked the Governor General for permission to form a new government and set October 19 as Election Day. That’s 78 days, wire to wire. Despite this, many critics complain that this is actually too long—at 11 weeks, the Canadian campaign season will be the longest in that nation’s history since the grueling 96-day campaign of 1872.
Much of the furor over the length of the campaign is due to the fact that Canadian taxpayers subsidize their elections, and a longer election season means that more public money will be given to the parties that are running.
This month’s election will pit Harper’s Conservative government against a number of rival parties who are betting that Canada is ready for a change. Harper has been PM since 2006, and has ruled with an outright majority since 2008—a rare feat in Canada’s parliamentary system. Usually, no single party has over 50% of the seats in government and must inevitably form a coalition of parties in order to get anything done.
Current opinion polls indicate that a coalition government is likely to be in Canada’s future. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party is trailing the Conservatives by a few points (32% to 31%, respectively), but the third place New Democratic Party (25%) will likely join with the Liberals to form the government and push the Conservatives into the opposition. It’s one of the peculiarities of the parliamentary system—Harper’s party might get more votes than any other party but could still lose his position as Prime Minister.
Fearing the possibility that the 43-year-old Trudeau could become the next Prime Minister, the Conservative party has been on the attack. Trudeau’s youth, good looks, and the fact that he is the son of a former Prime Minister have all been used against him to suggest that he is not ready for Canada’s top job. For example, file footage shows Trudeau engaging in a strip tease on stage in one ad. The Liberals countered that ad with a rebuttal—their commercial explains that the strip tease was during a fundraising benefit to cure liver cancer (though they, too, show the footage). The first rule of politics is if you have a candidate sexy enough to do a strip tease, you might as well show him off.
Surprise! The Maple Crown isn't going anywhere.
So, who will wear the Maple Crown? Will Justin Trudeau emerge as Canada’s second-youngest Prime Minister? Will Stephen Harper squeak out another victory? Will some coalition of minor parties wind up giving power to the leader of the Marxist-Lennonist Rhinoceros Party (a satirical party that owes allegiance to Groucho Marx and John Lennon)?
In truth, the crown is not up for grabs at all. Queen Elizabeth II is officially the monarch of Canada. She appoints the Governor General (though this act is done on the advice of the current Canadian Prime Minister). The Queen is sure to alternate her appointments between Anglophone and Francophone candidates in order to appease the feelings of Canada’s Quebecois minority. Currently, His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Lloyd Johnston holds the office, and it is he who PM Harper asked on August 2nd to dissolve the parliament and hold the election in the first place. The whole process is a centuries-old arrangement meant to prevent hurt feelings and respect the nation’s history and autonomy. How very Canadian indeed.
In truth, the crown is not up for grabs at all. Queen Elizabeth II is officially the monarch of Canada. She appoints the Governor General (though this act is done on the advice of the current Canadian Prime Minister). The Queen is sure to alternate her appointments between Anglophone and Francophone candidates in order to appease the feelings of Canada’s Quebecois minority. Currently, His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Lloyd Johnston holds the office, and it is he who PM Harper asked on August 2nd to dissolve the parliament and hold the election in the first place. The whole process is a centuries-old arrangement meant to prevent hurt feelings and respect the nation’s history and autonomy. How very Canadian indeed.