top of page

Historical 

Policies and politics

​

In addition to the national platform promises released by the party leadership, individual candidates also had considerable freedom to campaign on their own ideas and slogans. Bryan Gold of the Rhinoceros Party described the party platform as two feet high and made of wood: "My platform is the one I'm standing on". A candidate named Ted "not too" Sharp ran in Flora MacDonald's Kingston and the Islands riding with the campaign slogan "Fauna, not flora", promising to give fauna equal representation. He also took a stand on abortion (promising, if elected, never to have an abortion) and capital punishment: "If it was good enough for my grandfather, then it's good enough for me". To strengthen Canada's military, Sharp planned to tow Antarctica north to the Arctic Circle: "Once we have Antarctica, we'll control all of the world's cold. If another Cold War starts, we'll be unbeatable".

​

Other campaigns

"We Rhinos think that elections are so much fun, we want to hold them all the time". They also declared victory after one election, claiming all candidates were Rhinoceroses, whether they knew or acknowledged it: thick-skinned, short-sighted, mean-tempered, etc.

​

Notable candidates

​

Michel Rivard once went on TV (during free air time given to political parties) and stated: "I have but two things to say to you: Celery and Sidewalk. Thank you, good night".

A British Columbia splinter group proposed running a professional dominatrix for the position of party whip, renaming "British Columbia" to "La La Land", moving the provincial capital, and merging with the Progressive Conservative Party so as "not to split the silly vote".

​

Alfred the Alien (the only politician to admit he came from outer space) ran in 1988 in Coast Capilano on a platform of "Safe sex, prescription drugs, and easy listening" – an update to the original party tag line of "sex, drugs, and rock'n roll". He also coined the slogan: "The primary obligation of a political party is to have one". While campaigning, he always wore a tuxedo, but with baggy grey sweat pants and a cummerbund festooned with 'rhinostones', as well as a grey headdress with an outsized horn adorned with a condom. He supported global warming as part of the savannafication process to create better Rhino habitat on the prairies. He also supported free trade – to trade Baffin Island for Maui, or Brian Mulroney for some peace and quiet. Another plan was to advocate for Canadian citizenship for Jose Cuervo – Rhinos drank so much tequila that it seemed reasonable to recognize Jose as truly Canadian.

​

Later, Alfred the Alien campaigned in support of the undecided vote during the Meech Lake Accord debate, stating that it would be a truly Canadian compromise to leave the issues unresolved. Alfred has reverted to the political centre, and now sits on the local council on Bowen Island, and as a director of Metro Vancouver.

Although not recognized in the United States, former baseball pitcher Bill Lee ran for President of the United States in 1988 on the Rhinoceros Party ticket. 

​

Electoral record

The Rhinoceros Party never succeeded in winning a seat in the House of Commons. In the 1984 federal election, however, the party won the fourth-largest number of votes, after the three main political parties, but ahead of several well-established minor parties. Rhino candidates sometimes came in second in certain ridings, humiliating traditional Canadian parties in the process. In the 1980 federal election, for instance, the Rhinoceros party nominated a professional clown/comedian named Sonia "Chatouille" Côté ("chatouille" means "Tickles" in French) in the Laurier riding in Montréal. Côté came in second place, after the successful Liberal candidate, but ahead of both other major parties: the third place New Democrat, and the fourth-place Progressive Conservative candidate. Chatouille received almost twice as many votes as the PC candidate.

Party ephemerides

1963 - Founding of the Rhinoceros Party of Canada

One evening in October Jacques Ferron, his brother Paul Ferron, Robert Lynch, Millet dit Bagnolet, Robert Cliche, Renald Savoie, Pierre Gascon, Otto Bengle, André Goulet and others obscure, raise their glasses, The Rhinoceros Party » In the meantime,

​

1964 - The first two candidates Rhinoceros in history

  • André Goulet in the riding of Laurier

  • Paul Ferron in the riding of St-Denis

 

1965 - The Rhinoceros presents for a second by-election

  • Lucien Rivard in the riding of Papineau

 

 

1968 - The Rhinoceros presents the youngest candidate in the country

  • Robert Charlebois in the riding of Longueuil. The singer is then 23 years old.

 

1972 - 12 apostles are in the race for the Rhinoceros

  • Monique L'Hostie in the riding of Ahuntsic

  • Michel E Trudeau in the riding of Argenteuil

  • Lucien Rivard in the riding of Chambly

  • Jacques Ferron in the riding of Hochelaga

  • Raoul Wéziwézo Duguay in the riding of Longueuil

  • Gaston the poet Mirron in the riding of Mount Royal

  • Réginald Rhino Martel in the riding of Outremont

  • Maurice Gilbeau in the riding of Saint-Jean

  • Louisette La Souris Verte Dusseault in the riding of Sainte-Marie

  • Pierre Drolet in the riding of Saint-Maurice

  • Jean Simoneau in the riding of Sherbrooke

  • Claude Banville in the riding of Témiscamingue

 

1974 - 12 in 72 and 14 in 74

  • Yves Limoges in the riding of Abitibi

  • Claude Grenier in the riding of Beauce

  • Guy Rhino Fortier in the riding of Beauharnois

  • Victor Lévy-Beaulieu in the riding of Bourassa

  • Raymond Gaboriault in the riding of Chambly

  • Micheline Roberge in the riding of Langelier

  • Fernand Boucher in the riding of Laurier

  • Jacques Ferron in the riding of Longueuil

  • Ghyslain Valade in the riding of Longueuil Ouest

  • Robert Corneau in the riding of Rimouski

  • Louise Grégoire in the riding of Saint-Henri

  • Gaston Caron in the riding of Saint-Hyacinthe

  • Pierre Rousseau in the riding of Saint-Maurice

  • Gaétan Boyer in the riding of Sherbrooke

 

1974 - Publication of the book "Le Rhinocéros Programmé" Candidate in Bourassa, the novelist Victor Lévy-Beaulieu and the Editions de l'Aurore, published a first booklet Rhino "Le Rhinocéros Programmé"

 

1979 campaign

  • Government:

  • Energy:

    • Building one nuclear power plant per household, including monthly distributions of lead underwear to Canadians. Indoor lighting would then be provided by radioactive citizens.

    • Burning all the standing barns in Canada to provide energy, under the slogan Burn a barn for Britain.

  • Gender issues:

    • Alimony payments would go directly to the federal government, and responsibility for withholding those payments would fall upon the federal government.

    • Men would be allowed to work as prostitutes, wet nurses, secretaries and receptionists.

 

1984 campaign

  • Economy

    • The Rhinoceros Party pledged to eliminate small businesses, and replace them with very small businesses, having less than one employee.

    • Candidate Graham Ashley, standing in Ottawa-Vanier, pledged to take Canada off the Gold Standard, and implement a Snow Standard, which would improve the economy until the summer.

  • Public works

    • Candidate Stardust the Magician promised to put a roof on Olympic Stadium, using only a $25 million handkerchief.

​

1984 - 87 Candidate all over Canada

Some candidate names:

Richard Z. Sirois, François Yo Gourd, Dominique Langevin, Ben 97, Claude Hamel, Serge Lemoyne, Serge Lafortune, Jean-Claude Demers, Jean Frenette, Brien Flynn, Hank Fisher, Nora Green, Christian Jolicoeu rand many other candidate.

 

1985 - Death of Dr. Jacques Ferron

​

 

1988 - Bill Lee was the firs candidate Rhinoceros in United-States

In 1988, Lee was the Rhinoceros Party presidential candidate running on a platform of bulldozing the Rocky Mountains so Alberta could receive a few extra minutes of sunlight and banning guns and butter. His slogan was "No guns, no butter. Both can kill."

​

1988 -Some candidate names:

Marie Chouchou Chouinard, Sylvie Legs Legault, François Yo Gourd, Sonia Chatouille Côté, Charlie Le Concièrge McKenzie, Uncle Bill Harrison, John Turner, Milenko P Miljévic, Christian Nettoyeur Jolicoeur, Ben 97, Irène Maman Mayer et une multitude d'autres candidats and many others.

​

In the 1988 election, the Rhinoceros Party ran a candidate named John Turner in the same riding as Liberal leader John Turner, and received 760 votes. Penny Hoar, a safe sex activist, distributed condoms in Toronto while running under the slogan: "Politicians screw you — protect yourself".

​

​

1993 - Closed for rhinovation 

The party abstained from the 1993 federal election while they questioned the constitutionality of new rules that required the party to run candidates in at least 50 ridings at a cost of $1,000 per candidature.

 

​

2007 - Reopening

François "Yo" Gourd was the leader from 2007 to 2014. The current leader of the party is Sébastien Corriveau. In the by-election of September 17, 2007, François "Yo" Gourd appeared in the riding of Outremont while Christian Vanasse aka Christian "Willie" Vanasse member of the political humor group Les Zapartistes presents in the riding of Saint -Hyacinthe.

​

2008 -General Elections

In the general election of October 14, 2008, the party presented 7 candidates in Canada Sébastien Corriveau in Sherbrooke "Vote Brun!" François "Yo" Gourd in Laurier-Ste-Marie "An extra grape in the countryside!" Simon "Credible Berlingot" Landry in Hochelaga "A cassette or another ..." Judith "Mata Hari" Vienneau in Westmount-Ville-Marie "Still in the 514" Ben 97 Benoit in La-Pointe-De-L'ile "Ask me anything, I will answer you anything." Jean-Patrick Berthiaume in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie "Enjoy the right to vote" Sylvain A. Trottier in Laval-Les-Iles "For a free and independent Laval!"

​

2015 -General Elections

  • AGLAT, LaurentROSEMONT–LA PETITE-PATRIE

  • BENOIT, Ben 97LA POINTE-DE-L’ÎLE

  • BERNARDI, LouELGIN–MIDDLESEX–LONDON

  • BOUDREAU, MaxGASPÉSIE–LES ÎLES-DE-LA-MADELEINE

  • BROWN-HODGES, MeganKINGS–HANTS

  • CÔRRIVEAU, Sébastien CôRhinoRIMOUSKI-NEIGETTE–TÉMISCOUATA–LES BASQUES

  • CÔTÉ, Fobozof ARIVIÈRE-DU-NORD

  • CÔTÉ, KévinCOMPTON–STANSTEAD

  • COUTURE, MarielleJONQUIÈRE

  • DUBOIS, AntoineRICHMOND–ARTHABASKA

  • ECKSTROM, DonovanEDMONTON STRATHCONA

  • GAGNÉ, Bien GrasMONTMAGNY–L’ISLET–KAMOURASKA–RIVIÈRE-DU-LOUP

  • GAGNON, MarioABITIBI–BAIE-JAMES–NUNAVIK–EEYOU

  • GASCON-DAVID, CatherineAHUNTSIC-CARTIERVILLE

  • GAUDET, TommyPAPINEAU

  • GÉLINAS, Pascal Le FouABITIBI–TÉMISCAMINGUE

  • KRYGIER-PAINE, SollyLETHBRIDGE

  • LEMAY, NicolasHOCHELAGA

  • LIBERMAN, Matthew IakowLONGUEUIL–CHARLES-LEMOYNE

  • LUKAWSKI, Conrad OTTAWA-CENTRE

  • NORMAND, ÉricAVIGNON–LA MITIS–MATANE–MATAPÉDIA

  • RICHARD, HubertSHERBROOKE

  • SCHALM, Eric MatthewSASKATOON–UNIVERSITY

  • STAUFFER, StevenEDMONTON-CENTRE

  • THOMAS, RobertMOOSE JAW–LAKE CENTRE–LANIGAN

  • THOMPSON, Bun BunEDMONTON GRIESBACH

  • WOLFE, DanielVILLE-MARIE–LE SUD-OUEST–ÎLE-DES-SŒURS

​

2017 - By-election of April 3

  • CHINOOK, Blais-Leduc SAINT-LAURENT '' A wind of change ''

 

​

​

bottom of page