Politics & Power Quote by Rick Mercer

Mercer’s line is doing that very Canadian kind of misdirection: it sounds like a civics explainer, but it’s really a quiet roast of how narrow and scripted our political “choice” can feel. He opens with the warm filler of a guy chatting at a kitchen party - “You know” - then slides into bureaucratic labeling (“main English language parties,” “federalist parties”) that instantly flattens ideology into taxonomy. Politics as a nature documentary: two or three recognizable species, endlessly migrating across the same terrain.

The phrasing matters. “Traditionally the ones to watch” signals a media habit as much as a democratic one. It’s not that these parties are morally superior; they’re the ones broadcast as meaningful, the ones granted the spotlight. When Mercer adds “who form the government” after “the Conservatives,” he’s not just clarifying; he’s showing how power gets narrated as default. The Liberals arrive as the familiar counterweight, not a distinct project, but the other major brand in the aisle.

Subtext: this is a federation that likes stability, and a press ecosystem that likes legibility. By emphasizing “English language” and “federalist,” Mercer quietly marks what gets treated as central (anglophone, national-unity-friendly politics) and what gets pushed to the margins (regional, sovereigntist, smaller parties). It’s comedy as framing critique: he’s mimicking the soothing voice of political coverage while exposing how it narrows the story before voters even get to the ballot.