With #Elxn42 coming to a close, Twitter Canada took a look back at some of the key hashtags that shaped the 2015 federal election conversation on Twitter.
#Niqab – Over 47,000 tweets
In the weeks leading up to election day, women wearing the niqab while taking the Canadian citizenship oath proved to be one of the hottest topics on the campaign.
Political analysts have called Conservative leader Stephen Harper’s niqab stance an election tactic and a ‘wedge issue.’ Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair have criticized Harper for his policies around the niqab.
#PeeGate – Over 46,000 tweets
Toronto Conservative candidate Jerry Bance’s decision to urinate in a cup was caught on camera in 2012 and came back to haunt him in September – just in time to become one of the election’s funniest viral hashtags.
The former service technician was caught on hidden camera peeing into a coffee mug on a 2012 episode of CBC Marketplace, which led to him being dropped as the Conservative candidate in Ontario’s Scarborough–Rouge Park riding.
#HarperMan – Over 38,000 tweets
A federal public servant was sent home on leave and became the subject of a government investigation after he wrote and performed a politically-motivated folk song about Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The song, dubbed Harperman, was put on YouTube and Vimeo in June and featured Tony Turner, a scientist with Environment Canada, leading a dozen other people in a rendition of the folk song, which called for an end to Harper’s tenure as prime minister. Of course, it became a much-talked about issue on Twitter.
READ MORE: 2015 federal election – What to watch for when the polls close
#DuffyTrial – Over 33,000 tweets
The criminal trial of Sen. Mike Duffy was a big topic of conversation during the federal election. Duffy is accused of misusing public money by claiming expenses that he shouldn’t have and using it for things like travelling to Conservative party events or for personal trips – essentially charging taxpayers for his travel – and using contract money to pay for personal expenses like a makeup artist and personal trainer.
#OldStockCanadians – Over 33,000 tweets
Harper delivered a bit of a head-scratcher during a segment on immigration policy in September, saying that his party would bring in more refugees than in the past, but that “we do not offer them a better health-care plan than the ordinary Canadian can receive. I think that’s something that new and old-stock Canadians can agree with.”
Twitter responded with a bewildered “huh?”
#HarperANetflixShow – Over 12,000 tweets
Back in August, Conservative leader Steven Harper released a video proclaiming his love for steaming video service Netflix (and the show Breaking Bad). The video accused Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair of leaving the door “wide open” to taxing digital streaming services – although both parties denied the claims.
But the video spawned one of the most entertaining hashtags of the election, as Canadians took to Twitter to suggest some other TV shows and movies Harper might enjoy – poking fun at issues like the robocalls scandal and Harper’s budget.
Visualization is based on Twitter data and should not be considered scientifically accurate. Data has been made available via a partnership with Twitter Canada.
*With files from Global News
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