By Carly Stagg
With upcoming elections in the provincial and municipal levels of government and rumours of a federal election next year, Ottawa residents will be given the opportunity to exercise their democratic prerogative and elect those they wish to lead.
This wave of democratic activity has also touched upon the United States with the now-postponed California recall election. The election has garnered an extensive amount of media attention primarily due to its unconventional list of candidates.
The California gubernatorial election card looks more like an awards show nomination ballot, with action-movie hero Arnold Schwarzenegger, 80’s pop culture icon Gary Coleman, Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt and adult film star Mary Carey throwing their famous hats into the ring.
Unlike our American counterparts, even with two elections looming in our future, there are no Canadian celebrity names gracing the ballots.
In the U.S., politics has become synonymous with celebrity with Americans showing keen interest in the personal lives of their politicians and movie stars using their celebrity status to gain greater positions of power. Ronald Reagan went from actor to president and Jesse “the Body” Ventura went from body-slams in the World Wrestling Federation to governor of Minnesota.
In the U.S. anything is possible, if former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani can host Saturday Night Live, then the Terminator can become governor of California.
However in Canada, despite the fact that the Liberals dominate the federal government, our approach to politics is more conservative. The closest thing we have to a celebrity in politics is Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Mahovlich who was appointed to the Senate in 1998.
This lack of comedians and porn stars amongst our political ranks indicates Canadians have a firmer grasp than Americans about the difference between those we wish to entertain us and those we choose to lead us.
Canadians are not easily swayed by the power of celebrity. The U.S. is such a media-driven country that Americans tend to be obsessed with celebrity culture to the point where they begin to equate celebrity with power.
The problem with celebrities in politics is that in most instances, their election is not based on merit; rather their move into public office is due to their iconic status.
On the other hand, maybe a few celebrity candidates in Canadian politics could add some new blood to the stuffy, suit-and-tie world of Canadian partisan politics. If Tom Green ran for the Ottawa Centre seat vacated by Mac Harb’s move to the Senate or Paul Anka ran in Somerset Ward, perhaps it would renew Canadians’ enthusiasm for political life.
Canadian politics is full of life-long professional politicians who serve for years without the public noticing there may be a viable alternative. Canadian senators are appointed and can serve until the age of 75; if we could get Mike Myers or Jim Carrey in there, Canadian politics could be much more entertaining. Families would crowd around the television at night to watch CPAC and the electorate would turn out in droves to political rallies in for the latest round of handshaking and baby kissing with their favourite star.
Maybe celebrities would renew political passion in Canada, a passion not felt since the days of the charismatic Trudeau.
Then again, in an age where popular culture tends to dominate every aspect of our daily lives, do Canadians want to equate government with the glossy world of tabloids and talk shows?