Forget Trump, Canada candidate slays dragons to nab votes

By Julie Gordon
VANCOUVER, Aug 11 (Reuters) - He rides a Canada goose, slays
a dragon and fist bumps an alien - and that's just in the first
30 seconds of Wyatt Scott's campaign video for the upcoming
Canadian federal election.
Scott, an independent who is running to represent a region
of rural British Columbia in the Oct. 19 vote, posted the
attention-grabbing video on YouTube in mid-June, but it went
viral this week after being shared widely in online forums.
"I'm here to fight for Canada," Scott proclaims in the
special-effect-heavy clip, jumping from the back of a giant
Canada goose to stab a dragon through its head. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG6fhub9HDQ&feature=youtu.be)
The 37-year-old Scott then saves a falling man and fist
bumps an alien, all while outlining his views on the high cost
of university and calling for expanded social services, along
with more support for Canada's aboriginal people.
While not as slick as the ads from Canada's major parties,
Scott's on-screen antics could give Donald Trump, the bombastic
billionaire seeking the Republican nomination for president in
the U.S. election, a run for his money.
The bizarre video, which was produced by students recruited
on Craigslist, is an effort to get people engaged in the
campaign, Scott told Reuters.
"Obviously, we wanted to get some attention on what we're
doing here, so we came up with a clever little video," he said.
Running as an independent means that while Scott, an
entrepreneur and young father, does not have the support of a
major party behind him, he is free to tailor his platform to
appeal to voters in his community.
On his website, Scott lists "economy, equality, and
education" as central to his plan, while advocating for domestic
manufacturing, agriculture and green technologies.
And in what is surely an effort to tap into
anti-establishment sentiment and young, hipster voters, his
slogan is: "Think artisan politics, not partisan politics."
Most polls show Canada's federal election will be a tightly
contested race between the ruling Conservatives and the official
opposition New Democrats, with the Liberals well behind.
While it remains to be seen whether Scott's skills as a
dragon slayer will help him eek out voter support, the story has
gotten the candidate international attention, with views of his
video jumping by the second.
"Change is coming to Canada and I'm ready to lead that
charge," Scott says near the end of the clip, moments before
zapping a threatening robot with his laser vision. "Are you
ready for that shift?"