Rhino party candidate using satire to get your attention

The federal election campaign may be getting more intense and serious by the day as we approach Oct. 19. But at least one party is trying to lighten things up with its brand of satire. 

The Rhinoceros Party has been in and out of elections since the 1960s. They're known for humour and ridiculous party platforms — one of the party promises this year is to nationalize Tim Hortons. 

Eric Schalm, the Rhino candidate in the Saskatoon-University riding, didn't vote in the last election. These days he became a candidate for the Rhinos because it's time for him to get involved.

"It just dawned on me, that I shouldn't be apathetic the whole time, I should be trying to change things right? Because when you feel the most apathetic, that's when you need change the most."

The 24-year-old candidate hopes to inspire apathetic people with humour.

"It's about making something that'll make somebody laugh," he said. "But after they laugh about it they'll think about how it is relevant to whatever it is that everyone has been talking about." 

One party promise is to eliminate genus and species when it comes to trees, so that all trees can be equal. While that point may seem outrageous, Schalm said that particular promise is about getting people thinking about equality among people in real life including situations such as the Syrian refugee crisis. 

Schalm added that he would rather have someone vote for another candidate or party, than not vote at all. 

"If you get involved and you find a party that you agree with, vote for them absolutely."