The 43rd Canadian election campaign officially kicked off on Wednesday, bringing with it a host of new campaign slogans. MJPSatire spoke with each of the parties about their campaign slogans and the meanings behind them.
The Conservatives, currently in opposition, chose to go with a simple slogan: “Choose Backward.” When asked about the reasoning behind this slogan, spokesperson Kelliee-Raiyne Anderson explained that the phrase references the Conservative Party’s hope to spend four years doing nothing except reversing everything done by the Liberals.
The incumbent Liberals did not show up to the meeting with MJPSatire, despite numerous online petitions urging them to attend. The reasoning behind their slogan, “Fake Change,” therefore remains unclear.
When MJPSatire approached the NDP asking for its party slogan, the party’s lead strategist replied “Oh, are we supposed to have one of those?” It’s unclear whether this is the party’s official slogan, or whether they plan to update the slogan as the campaign progresses.
For the Green Party, the chosen slogan is “Not left, not right, not forward, not backward, not up, and not down.” Party leader Elizabeth May explained to MJPSatire that this slogan references that the Greens are nothing like the other parties. When asked what they are, then, May appeared perplexed and said she would get back to MJPSatire. We have since been blocked on all social media platforms.
The People’s Party of Canada, led by Maxime Bernier, is adorning its signs with the phrase “Splitting the right, one vote at a time.” When asked for elaboration on the meaning behind this slogan, Bernier responded that it was “pretty damn self-explanatory, idiot.”
When MJPSatire reached out to the Bloc Quebecois regarding its party slogan, a representative replied with “En francais, tabarnak.” Since the MJPSatire interviewer was anglophone, we’re not sure what this means, but it sounds nice.
This piece is part of the MJPS Satire section. Although potentially based on true events, it is not intended to accurately portray reality. Opinions expressed through this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the position of the McGill Journal of Political Studies or the Political Science Students’ Association.
Featured image by Lauren Hill