As you prepare for your Thanksgiving dinner, if you have some time off from basting your turkey and taste-testing the mashed potatoes and arranging your decorative gourds, why not prepare some political talking points?
That’s what the Liberals and the NDP are hoping you’ll do. Both parties have released suggestions for what to say when dinner conversation inevitably turns to the election.
The sustained time with extended family, combined with the vast quantities of alcohol that are often part of holiday dinner, means it’s not unusual for conversation to drift into politics. And given that we’re just over a week away from a federal election, a lot of people will have a lot of opinions.
The Liberals opted for a page on their website, titled “Turkey Talk 2019,” where a cute little turkey provides occasionally sassy suggested answers to anti-Liberal rhetoric.
If a relative references “Seinfeld” to say that the election is “about nothing,” for instance, you can... tell them they’re old and then suggest talking about it while watching “Big Little Lies,” a show that ended in July.
There are also more serious answers to questions about NAFTA, minority governments, and climate tax, and several digs at the Conservative Party and at its leader Andrew Scheer, as well as references to turducken and puns like “fowl play.”
The NDP, meanwhile, released a video on Facebook titled “How to talk to your family about voting NDP: Thanksgiving Edition.”
The video takes a more earnest approach than the Liberal suggestions, opting for messages about voting with your conscience. There’s also a rebuttal to a millennial-aimed message about avocado toast, a favourite retort of uncles everywhere.
The Conservatives have not yet released a Thanksgiving statement. The Greens didn’t send out any dinner talking points, but did release a straightforward Thanksgiving message. In a statement, leader Elizabeth May said she wishes Canadians a happy holiday, adding that “the fall harvest reminds us of the earth’s bounty and of the hard working farmers and field workers who deliver this abundance to our tables.”
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