Gordon Jeffrey is back on the campaign trail in the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, representing the Rhinoceros Party—though he’s the first to admit this campaign is more about shaking things up than winning votes.
“I guess the same things as usual, the issues I care about haven’t gone away,” said Jeffrey in a candid interview with Pique. “I feel like somebody’s got to do it. We still don’t have a ‘none of the above’ option.”
Jeffrey, a longtime Whistler local, said the Rhinos are a natural fit for his brand of tongue-in-cheek activism. “I’ve always been a fan of comedy and political satire in particular," he said. "It’s a natural fit. It allows me to be part of a party and do what I want and voice my opinions.”
Although he jokes his party is “now unconcerned about the issues of the working class” and aims to “extend the retirement age to death,” Jeffrey insists there’s substance behind the satire. “The message is serious,” he said. “This is the only interview I’m taking where I’m being serious.”
Same problems, new punchlines
Underneath the satire, Jeffrey’s concerns reflect frustrations shared by many Canadians—especially in Whistler. He points to affordability, housing, climate change, and economic pressures from U.S. trade tensions as top priorities.
“Four years to try and fix or address [them], but the same issues remain,” he said, adding that campaign logistics were especially challenging this time. “This being a snap election makes things difficult for everyone outside the two major parties … I worked five to six days a week getting signatures at a pub.”
Jeffrey is critical of the electoral system and the dominance of Canada’s two main parties. “We’re entrenched in a two-party dichotomy that serves itself above the people,” he said. “Unless we break free of our own accord, we will be stuck that way.”
His prescription? Electoral reform. But he’s also realistic. “It doesn’t suit the party in power,” he said. “They lose if there’s electoral reform—it’s against their best interests.”
Satire with teeth
Though best known for parody platforms, Jeffrey maintains that if elected, his top priority would be tackling political corruption.
“It would have to do with what I see as legalized corruption and modifying law to decrease potential for it,” he said.
Still, his “platform” leans hard into absurdist humour. Among the highlights: a proposal to create new Canadian territories out of the United States and China to impose climate regulations on the world’s largest emitters, and plans to fund government pensions through casino bets.
“I’d send our MPs to casinos and let it all ride on black,” he quipped. “We’ll introduce a six-day work week so citizens have the glorious opportunity to generate sweet tax revenue.”
Yet behind the jokes is a real criticism of inequality and housing insecurity. “People can’t afford houses,” he said. “That’s a great start because we will guarantee assets of the rich and build some tiny ghettos for the working class to squabble over.”
The satirical candidate voters might take seriously
While Jeffrey doesn’t canvas door-to-door—“I don’t believe in bothering people in their homes”—he says the humour helps him connect with voters. “Without it I’m just an angry independent shaking my fist at the sky,” he said.
He’s received messages of support and believes satire invites people to re-evaluate politics. “It makes people think—either at all or in different terms,” he said.
And what if voters do take him seriously and elect him?
“It would mean the opportunity to better serve my country and my community,” he said. Though he’s currently running under the Rhino banner, Jeffrey added he would consider sitting as an independent.
Asked what voters should know before heading to the polls, Jeffrey replied, “They can read my platform in this week’s issue of the Pique. My Facebook account is the website I have.”
For those seeking an alternative to the traditional parties—or at least a laugh with their democracy—Jeffrey’s Rhinoceros candidacy offers a bit of both.
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