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Canadian politicians have also played the Trump card

Canadian politicians have also played the Trump card

Donald Trump unapologetic zaniness – much like his hair – has been a staple since the billionaire first edged his way into the public eye. But while that ostentatiousness earned him attention as a T.V. personality and real estate developer, it’s proving a bit too much to handle for some of his Republican peers as he makes his bid for presidency.

It started in mid-June with anti-immigration comments that “when Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.”

“They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” said Trump.

The comments prompted other GOP candidates and members, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney to distance themselves from him.

He followed it up with other comments including that former presidential candidate John McCain – who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam – is “not a war hero.”

Although the comments seem to be igniting a media fury and keeping Trump in the headlines, north of the border in Canadian politics, loose talk and colloquial hiccups have occasionally tanked campaigns for aspiring leaders.

We look at a few of the more memorable in recent memory:

Mirrors and Math

The historic defeat of former Alberta Premier Jim Prentice and his Progressive Conservatives in May 2015 – which ended a 44-year reign by the party – was built on the back of the leader’s rhetorical missteps.

Amidst looming economic difficulties fueled by a crippled oil industry, Prentice told the CBC “in terms of who is responsible, we need only look in the mirror – basically, all of us have had the best of everything and have not had to pay for what it costs.”

And then, while Alberta’s were frothing at the mouth about his comment, he called an early election. Well played, Prentice.

But it doesn’t stop there. The foot worked its way back into the mouth mid-campaign when during a debate with NDP leader Rachel Notley on the rival party’s fiscal policies, Prentice said the NDP proposed a “20 per cent corporate income tax.”

Notley responded, pointing out the NDP plan called for a 12 per cent tax rate.

Prentice’s response: “I know that math is difficult, but 10 per cent to 12 per cent is a 20 per cent increase.”

The premier was lambasted for the remark, the PCs were obliterated in the election and Prentice resigned.

Elections aren’t for discussing serious issues

Much like Prentice, fellow PC Kim Campbell only basked in a glimpse of leadership before awkward rhetoric and unfortunate timing crushed her campaign.

Appointed Prime Minister in June 1993, Campbell – the country’s first and only female prime minister to date – and her conservatives went into the fall election hopeful the party would win or at least form a sturdy opposition to a Liberal minority government.

But despite the party’s hopes, the campaign was troubled from day one. When pressed by journalists about the issues surrounding unemployment, Campbell surmised it would take until the turn of the century for the jobless rate to drop. The Liberal’s under Jean Chrétien were quick to pick up the slack, promising to turn unemployment around and create jobs.

But that wouldn’t be the short-serving Prime Ministers last campaign gaffe. Two weeks later Campbell told a reporter, “I think that the election campaign is the worst possible time to have such a dialogue on social problems.”

Not realizing her hiccup, she dug in deeper adding: “I think it takes longer than 47 days to tackle an issue that’s that serious. The issues are too complex to try to generate some kind of blueprint in the 47 days available in an election campaign.”

Unfortunately for Campbell and her progressive conservative doctrine, her comments were paraphrased to “an election is no time to discuss important issues” and used by her opponents to discredit her.

Ultimately, the Liberals swept the 1993 election in a landslide and Campbell resigned from the PCs. Her parting remark, finally, on point: “Gee, I’m glad I didn’t sell my car.”

Evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet

But perhaps the most bizarre rhetoric to twist a campaign out of sorts was the PC party’s press release during the second week of the 2003 Ontario provincial election calling Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty an “evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet.”

The release came at an inopportune moment for the campaigning Conservatives who were about to pitch their favourable health care agenda. Instead it put party leader Ernie Eves in the hot seat for picking fights without a legitimate reason and building the campaign around attack ads.

The following weeks would be spent on the defensive for the Conservatives, with Eves and co. steadily dropping in the polls while dishing out increasingly bizarre attacks on McGuinty including that he had a “pointy head” and that he needed “professional help” – which forced its own apology from Eves to people with mental illness.

Ultimately, the Liberals claimed a huge majority in the province and McGuinty was free to continue his kitten consumption beyond the watchful eyes of the conservatives.