Martyne Alphonso<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
William Lyon Mackenzie King once said \u201cA true man does not only stand up for himself, he stands up for those that do not have the ability to\u201d, and for 23 years, Mackenzie King stood up for an entire nation. Now, during May 19th<\/sup>\u2019s By-election, the New Perhaps the spunk runs in the family, but son of Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau is known for swearing in the House of Commons, had a brief career as a boxer, and actor, A Toronto resident, Natalie Fingerhut, laughed saying When it comes to a community leader, most of the residences seem to want a \u201cresponsible\u201d, \u201creliable\u201d, \u201caccountable\u201d and \u201cinspirational\u201d leader. After speaking to Less loved, but definitely crazy, was Mayor Mel Lastman. Founder of a furniture company (with potentially the most irritating of slogans), he placed moose sculptures scattered across Toronto, allegedly sold a refrigerator to an Eskimo, and called in the army to remove snow. Mind you, this psychotic man developed the Yonge-Sheppard area, kept property taxes at a minimum, and worked together with left-leaning councilors Jack Layton and Olivia Chow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So why are we Canadians drawn to unhinged candidates? According to recent polls, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Martyne Alphonso William Lyon Mackenzie King once said \u201cA true man does not only stand up for himself, he stands up for those that do not have the ability to\u201d, and for 23 years, Mackenzie King stood up for … Continue reading
\nDemocratic Party has taken over power for the Toronto-Danforth riding for the
\nlast 8 consecutive years. A by-election was called in this downtown riding due
\nto the death of NDP leader Jack Layton: the new representative being Craig
\nScott. But is Craig Scott the best possible man for the job? Mackenzie King was
\nnoted as one of Canada\u2019s best leaders, so why not find a man best suited for
\nthis new City Councilor job, by looking into the past.
\nTo date, Canada\u2019s most loved political leaders have all been, well, bizarre. William
\nLyon Mackenzie King held s\u00e9ances in his home, was obsessed with numerology (the
\nstudy of numbers), and had a dog in place of a wife. He was said to be partially
\ninsane, and although few people knew of his strange personal life, everyone
\nknew his role in politics. This is the man who led Canada through World War II,
\nestablished unemployment insurance, old age pensions, welfare, and the family allowance. Celebrities to date that hold similar personal lives include Criss \u201cMindfreak\u201d Angel (for s\u00e9ances), and Marilyn Manson (numerology). Perhaps I speak for more than my community that I wouldn\u2019t let either celebrity run our country.
\nCanada\u2019s arguably second most beloved leader was Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Trudeau
\nestablished the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, endorsed Lester
\nPearson\u2019s Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, and introduced
\nCanada\u2019s \u201cMulticulturalism Policy\u201d. This is the same man who completed a
\npirouette behind Queen Elizabeth the 2nd<\/sup> at a G7 Summit Conference,
\ncame to a meeting in the House of Commons wearing sandals, and dated numerous
\ncelebrities. Trudeau has all of these actions to a degree with provocative
\nactor Sacha Baron- Cohen. Sorry Borat, but I don\u2019t think Canada is the right
\nplace for you to govern.<\/p>\n
\nplaying a soldier in a CBC mini series.
\nJustin Trudeau\u2019s actions have gotten him into trouble in parliament, but
\nhave made him one of the most talked about politicians in the last year.<\/p>\n
\nJustin Trudeau is \u201cthe most stupid and outrageous politician in parliament. Yet
\nsomehow I respect him for it. I feel like he\u2019s standing up for me, even if he\u2019s
\ncalling someone a s***head\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nnumerous households in the riding, none defined their idealistic leader as
\n\u201cmentally unstable\u201d, \u201cflamboyant\u201d, and \u201ceccentric\u201d. So what makes a good
\nleader? Toronto-Danforth residence Korie Bluege says she wants a city councilor
\nwho \u201cholds the same values as [herself], and has a similar visions of the
\nfuture\u201d. Although I doubt Korie endorses pirouettes and s\u00e9ances, her favourite Prime Minister to date is Pierre Elliot Trudeau.<\/p>\n
\nthe NDP\u2019s Craig Scott takes the lead for the Toronto-Danforth riding, despite
\nhis lack of rogue stunts.\u00a0 None of the current runners have been as bold as Canada\u2019s most loved. So is it coincidence that most of our successful leaders have been eccentric? I decided to get right to the source. MP Olivia Chow, and NDP leader
\nsays she \u201cdoesn\u2019t think an outrageous stunt will help [Craig Scott] in the
\nelection. People like to hear the refrigerator and Eskimo stories, but I don\u2019t
\nbelieve it can ensure you votes\u201d.\u00a0 Ironically, her favourite Prime Minister was Mackenzie King. Chow also claims she \u201cdoesn\u2019t support s\u00e9ances or human-like relationships with
\nScottish-Terriers\u201d. Although insanity may not get you the vote, the insanity
\nmay just bring you the nerves to try anything until success arises. T.S Elliot
\ndefines success as the \u201crisk of going too far to discover just how far you can
\nreally go.\u201d Success will not present
\nitself to you unless you are bold enough to earn it. If you have the nerve to
\ndance behind the Queen of England, you have my vote.<\/p>\n