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Why Do Mice Vote for Cats?

Hill Times: January 29, 2025

I wonder how the late Tommy Douglas would have responded to a character like Donald Trump? Canada once boasted a bold politician who understood the value of subtle humor and a clever analogy.

The Canadian Medicare icon once told a story about a group of mice (working people) trying to decide whether they should vote for the spotted or striped cats (Liberals or Conservatives). As the story goes, one little mouse spoke up and suggested that mice ought to vote for mice since cats’ have only a predatory interest in mouse welfare.

Fortunately, Canadian federal politics is not nearly as polarized and monetized as the American system. However, both nations’ dominant parties mainly serve the interests of those who exploit their financial power to arrange legislation that creates conditions of ever-growing inequality.

For example, in 1986, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives drafted “white-collar” crime legislation which was gratefully accepted and passed into law with minor parliamentary scrutiny and little media coverage.

Over the last few decades, anti-government messaging from populist politicians, think tanks and mainstream media has convinced many working people to reject collective responsibility and accept the flawed logic of individualism.

While parties like the NDP or Greens are imperfect, they could not do worse than their dominant rivals. As simplistic as it may seem, and despite clever feline rhetoric, why should mice continue to expect mercy or kindness from cats?