A new candidate is sticking his whiskers into the political ring, with the hope of becoming Canada’s next prime minister.
Earl Grey, the leader of the Tuxedo Party of Canada, is a cat, but that’s not stopping him from running for office.
If you’ve never heard of him, you may have heard of his equally politically ambitious relative -- the late Tuxedo Stan, who ran for mayor of Halifax in 2012.
“Earl is Tuxedo Stan’s brother so we felt, like the Kennedys, we’d pass the reins of power on down to his brother,” campaign manager Hugh Chisholm told CTV Atlantic.
Stan passed away in the fall of 2013, days before the provincial election. Earl stepped in, leading an unsuccessful campaign for premier of Nova Scotia.
Now, he’s back in the spotlight, hoping to become the country’s next prime minister.
Earl has his own election signs, bumper stickers, campaign buttons and even T-shirts – anything to claw away votes.
We’re hoping to have election signs available in all provinces, hopefully even territories,” Chisholm said. “So this is truly going to be a national campaign.”
But don’t expect to see Earl pawing along the campaign trail anytime soon – the furry feline doesn’t really like to travel.
So, if he wins, how will he get over to Parliament?
Chisholm, a retired veterinarian, says there’s a simple solution: “Parliament will have to come to him.”
While it’s unlikely Earl Grey will gain a seat within those hallowed halls, the feline is raising awareness about animal cruelty during the campaign.
“it’s a huge problem and unfortunately there’s no government agency that’s looking after it,” Chisholm said.
Chisholm says animal cruelty laws in Canada are “very archaic, there’s a lot of cruelty that goes on in this country that people basically walk away from.”
All the money raised from the sale of Earl’s campaign merchandise will help spay and neuter feral cats around Halifax.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Matt Woodman
