Ottawa — With yogic fliers having bounced off their last election platform and the Rhinoceros party in hibernation, the political fringe seems to be disappearing from Canada's political landscape.
But some observers think the fringe hasn't gone underground, it's just hiding in plain sight.
“There's a lot of humour in what the major parties are saying,” says Charlie McKenzie, former leader of the Rhinos.
The Rhinos no longer contest elections because they feel the $1,000 that Elections Canada requires from candidates represents a user fee on democracy. Other fringe parties are calling it quits for other reasons.
There will be no bouncing yoga candidates floating door to door this election as the Natural Law Party is giving up the ghost.
Official agent Maxim Newby said the party is wrapping up affairs after concluding the public's interest in the political process is waning.
Just 16,577 people were attracted last election by the party's chief plank of creating positive energy through mass rallies of people bouncing up and down in the lotus position to cure crime and erase the debt.
Mr. Newby said they got used to people laughing because “people laugh all over the world, so there's nothing you can do about it.”
The Absolutely Absurd Party will also no longer be active, with spokesmen having said they consider things in Canadian politics to be absurd enough.
While the Rhinos' horns may be pulled in, Mr. McKenzie's antennae continue working, telling him the electorate is hungry for something new.
“Every kid who comes up to me on the street tells me he wants change,” Mr. McKenzie deadpanned.
Prime Minister Paul Martin hired Scott Feschuk, a former humour writer, in January and Mr. McKenzie said he looks forward to the day when Feschuk actually begins working.
Mr. McKenzie advises Mr. Martin to accentuate the positive of Liberal policies — “flog the fact that it was the party that gave us free income tax forms.”
And he said exposure to life outside Quebec has given Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe a new perspective: “He no longer thinks the English Channel is the BBC.”
Mr. McKenzie also said he thinks Conservative Leader Stephen Harper may have the women's vote sewn up.
“He's strong, durable and apparently is battery operated.”
As for the NDP with new leader Jack Layton, “False hope is better than no hope at all.”
There are nine parties registered with Elections Canada, including the environmentalist Green party, the Marijuana party and two separate communist entities.
Experts say the idea of voting for a fringe party still resonates among some, either as a protest or as part of a belief system.
The Marijuana party rolled up 66,258 votes — conceivably more would have voted for the party, but may have suddenly been too hungry to make it to polling stations.
The Green party seems to be moving beyond fringe party status, reaching 10 per cent support in B.C. according to the most recent Ipsos-Reid poll.
“That's higher than the NDP in Quebec so there are instances in some areas of the country where a party like the Green party could have some influence,” said Ipsos president Darrell Bricker.
The Greens took 104,000 votes in the last federal election. The communists — both kinds — took 21,000.
