When Canada Goes Viral: The Canada Party and the Circulation of Political Satire

Abstract

In September 2012, a satirical video declaring Canada as a candidate for the American presidential election went viral. Created by Brian Calvert and Chris Cannon, the “The Canada Party—Meet the Canada Party” video was part of a prank in which the two proposed that Canada would be a better presidential option than either Barack Obama or a Republican Party candidate. The prank is part of a recent performance trend that scholar L. M. Bogad names “electoral guerrilla theatre.” This type of performance responds to the limitations of democratic electoral systems via the appropriation of signs and parodying of electoral norms. Responses to this prank revealed some of the challenges activist performers face when dealing with mass media, which can shift the message of tactical interventions and misread irony. Major international news outlets assumed the prank was primarily about stereotypical, nationalistic differences between Canada and the US. Though this particular video did feature some national stereotypes, the artists developed a scathing critique of Canadian policies with the Canada Party campaign. Their work revealed how freely news media, political culture, and satire now circulate across borders.