A Canadian Election Primer

Canada faces a federal election on 2006 January 23. To fully appreciate the various issues facing the electorate, it is perhaps useful to consider these issues in the context of Canadian history. Almost 120 years ago, J.W. Bengough published A Caricature History of Canadian Politics. Many aspects of this work remain relevant. The faces change. The details change. But the underlying issues carry on.

A small collection of cartoons from Bengough's book are presented here. The commentary about each cartoon is his and reflects the situation 120 years ago. In the interests of political neutrality, I have resisted the temptation to include any personal comments.

The cartoons are indexed by issue below, or they can be browsed sequentially.

Canada-US relations

• A Pertinent Question
• Uncle Sam Kicked Out!

Parachuting in a star candidate

• L'Homme Qui Rit

The maritime provinces

• The Game of See-Saw

Scandal and integrity

• Whither Are We Drifting?
• Blackwash and Whitewash
• We in Canada Seem To Have Lost All Idea Of Justice, Honor and Integrity.

The democratic deficit

• The Premier's Model

The previous administration

• A Touching Appeal

The barbeque circuit

• The Only Satisfying Picnic After All

The party line

• Teaching The Polly-ticians What To Say

Tariff disputes with the US

• Settling The Account

Tax fairness

• Sitting On The Poor Man

Senate reform

• Clear The Track
• The Fifth Wheel

The surplus

• Miss Canada's Surplus

Quebec

• A Little Too Much Of The Whip

(note: I believe all of these cartoons to be in the public domain. Those originally published by Grip were drawn by J.W Bengough; the others by various other artists. A collection of cartoons from A Caricature History of Canadian Politics was published by Peter Martin Associates Limited of Toronto in 1977.)