2015 election campaign is eerily similar to the 1993 race
Tories have been in power for 9 years, the loonie has taken a dive and the Jays are in the post-season
In the lead-up to election day, many have been drawing comparisons between this campaign and the 1993 federal election, when Jean Chrétien and the Liberals defeated Kim Campbell's Progressive Conservative Party.
Though the two campaigns are separated by 22 years, they share some striking similarities.
9 years of Tory rule
Like the Conservatives under Stephen Harper in 2015, Campbell's PCs had been in power for nine years heading into the 1993 campaign. For the first 8½ of those years in power the party was led by Brian Mulroney. He stepped down in February 1993 amid slumping popularity and less than one year after signing the North American Free Trade Agreement, the largest trade deal in Canadian history.
Election day in 1993 and 2015? Both in October and both on a Monday. The 1993 election was held on Oct. 25, a week later than this year's voting day of Oct. 19.
Bush vs. Clinton
Back in 1993, Democrat Bill Clinton had beat out Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush for the presidency in the preceding year's election. In 2015, Hillary Clinton is the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination, and George H.W. Bush's son Jeb Bush is among the candidates vying for the top spot on the Republican ticket.
The American election will take place on Nov. 8, 2016, just over a year after our federal election.
Sunken loonie
In 1993, the Canadian dollar traded in the mid 70-cent range against the U.S. dollar, according to the Bank of Canada.
In comparison, the central bank says that over the course of September 2015, the dollar averaged between 74 and 76 cents US — right where it was in 1993.
Let's play ball
Just two days before Canadians went to the polls in 1993, the Blue Jays won their second World Series title at home in Toronto.
Not to jinx it, but the team could be on its way to the World Series again.
For the first time since 1993, the team has made it into the post-season.
Politics and baseball have intersected during the current campaign, with Harper, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair all bringing their campaigns to the Rogers Centre.
The Jays lost all three games attended by the leaders, causing some to declare a political curse that has prompted an all-party pledge not to attend any more games.
And if all these confluences aren't eerie enough, consider that the top film at the box office in 1993 was Jurassic Park. The highest-grossing film in 2015 so far is the Chris Pratt-fronted reboot Jurassic World.