Commit to the Bit: One 19 Year Old’s Comedic Quest to Become Mayor of Toronto

How Meir Straus’ satirical 2023 campaign for mayor sought to rally Toronto’s youth.

Toronto’s 2023 mayoral race was one full of questions: What was next for the city? Who would serve us best? Is there any hope for Torontonians? One individual had all the answers for us… and we let him get away. 

Having had to flee the city after stealing running mate, Xiao Hua Gong’s campaign signs, this beacon of hope which the city of Toronto let slip through its fingertips now resides on the chilly east coast in Nova Scotia, along with his accomplice and social media manager.

This interview was conducted in a top secret location (over Zoom) as it is well known that politicians in the public eye can be at risk of retaliation from dissenting constituents. As the camera turns on and we commence the interview, my laptop screen goes blank. Had the secret service gotten word that their secrets could be revealed? Was it Mayor Olivia Chow trying to stop her opponent from using his voice? 

No. My landlord cut the internet.

After 30 minutes the call started anew. This time two faces appeared on the screen.

“Upon my eighth day, I was bequeathed the name Meir.”

Meir Straus, now 19, ran for mayor of Toronto at the ripe age of 18. He knew it was his destiny from a very young age. In his own words, “I was born for this, my name is Meir (pronounced ‘Mayor’).”

When news of Toronto’s 65th Mayor John Tory resigning broke due to private family issues (those family issues being his confession to an extramarital affair), Straus had no other thoughts on the scandal apart from declaring loudly to his mother that he was next in line. 

After applying to run, it was obvious to Straus that his first step in his campaign for office was to expose himself to the public eye. From there he contacted Talia Kirshblum to aid in creating and running his Instagram and other social media accounts.

Kirshblum and Straus met in 2022, but the pair saw their souls aligning far before. 

“I think our souls truly met 2000 years ago with the great philosophers,” says Kirshblum.

“Yes of course,” replies Straus.

“I was Plato,” Kirshblum declares.

“And I was Aristotle,” chimes in Straus.

“In that time, all those years ago, we knew the most important political project would be the 2023,” Kirshblum says, casting her gaze towards Straus.

“Toronto mayoral election,” the pair stumbles in broken unison.

Kirshblum had no objections to Straus' attempt at running for mayor, to her it was without a doubt his calling. His name (Meir Straus) held power and was a no brainer to support him.

From there the pair teamed up to contribute to making Toronto a better place for all, “As Debby Ryan once said, ‘I sat them down and I said, we’re gonna make history. And that’s what this is. It’s history,’" states Kirshblum. 

Although it started off all fun and games, it was time to get down to business. The pair started with creating their policies and promises to the people of Toronto if Straus were elected. 

To prepare for such a delicate subject that requires the utmost care and thought, Straus and Kirshblum fasted for seven days and beseeched the political gods for a stroke of divine genius upon them. They were then handed a golden sheet of paper encrypted with what the city needs, or so the story goes, according to Straus. 

The policies they promised were not far from what the people of Toronto have demanded year after year from their leaders. 

Straus vowed to cover every wall on every Toronto Transit Commision (TTC transportation service with scratch and sniff paper that would be periodically changed by ‘bus perfumers,’ an initiative which would also create more jobs, such as workers who repaint the buses scratch and sniff walls when the odor subsides. 

In regards to public safety, Straus declares the word ‘muck,’ a slang word to describe when you are eating, was next to go. Straus felt that the word was overused by the general public in 2023, and simply enough, he found it annoying. 

Following his loss in the election Straus has admitted to using the word on a regular basis. In an official statement (that ‘official statement’ being this interview) Straus states, “We can all change and we can all grow. We didn't get it right the first time.” Kirshblum adds, “We love a political team that can recognize their mistakes.”

Along with the policies outlined above, Straus’ list of forward-looking ideologies address all avenues of city wellness: diversity, transportation, the economy, the environment and more. 

Other policies include:

• Public urination will be legalized because this city is already a s**thole.

• City Councillors will be called "City Clowncillors" for accuracy.

• "White collar crimes" will be renamed to "every colour collar crimes."

• Raccoons will be trained to become our police, firemen, and EMTs.

• The word "Orwellian" will be banned so people can't complain about city policies.

Straus’ website (https://www.meir4mayor.ca) is filled with a plethora of knowledge on himself, his team, and his supporters. 

The Toronto Herald, his mother, a rabbi, and even Drake endorsed the campaign to elect Toronto’s youngest mayor. 

But with support comes enemies, many of which being his opponents. “He can stay Mad Madford,” exclaims Straus against his then-opponent Brad Bradford, who now serves as City Councillor for ward 19, The Beaches - East York. 

Straus gained knowledge, or more so a feeling that Bradford and his other opponent in the mayoral race, Gong had it out for him all along, a potential leading cause in Straus’s mission to steal all of Gong’s lawn signs.

Straus rarely crossed paths with his competition during the campaign trail. The rare exceptions? First, a few random faces at registration, and later, during a CP24 interview, when he encountered a self-styled millionaire who stars in his own movies and a man cradling a bunny in a cage.

Though his opponents were not his main cause of worry during his campaign. His team always followed the motto, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” and that’s exactly what they did. 

In contrast to his opponents, Straus didn’t have years in the industry, a large sum of money to contribute to a five to one sign ratio like Gong, or a furry sidekick to bring along with him to his interviews—but he did have other qualifications. 

Straus has taught a six year old to read, which he claims is a very similar job to being Mayor. He’s not a ginger but does support them. He can play wonderwall, is great at Kahoot, and is not married so he can’t cause trouble by having an affair. On a TikTok post highlighting his campaign shared by blogTO, one of Toronto’s leading publication’s, Straus was adored by thirsting commenters claiming, “he’s so fine,” “I want him,” “I like him.”

Straus’ attempted journey to become Toronto’s youngest Mayor was not always an easy one—and that’s because it wasn’t all for jokes. 

With young people being one of the biggest voting demographics in politics today—elections —whether they be municipal, provincial, or federal, can and will be tipped by the youth vote. But not as many young voters are turning up to the polls.

Straus believes that the younger generation has many opinions on politics which older populations do not have or don’t understand. This leads to those demands not being met, due to the fact that those being voted into office are primarily above the age of 40. Without a younger voice in government, change will never occur. 

Through all the jokes and what to some may have looked like a young boy trying to have a laugh, Straus’ intentions behind running lied deeper. 

“Getting people out to the polls and growing the habit of voting, doing a public service, is one of the best and easiest things we can do in our own daily lives,” he says.

Straus strived for his campaign to bring to light the importance of exercising your right to vote and the need for youth voices to be heard—a performance art in its own sense. 

During the election and while running Straus’ Instagram, Kirshblum was only 17.  Now she is 18 and registered to vote. “It’s easy to do online, and I think that even if you don’t have a strong political stance, it’s good to get in the habit of voting because you never know when there is going to be something that matters to you and your voice should be heard,” she advises. 

Generating a platform that could inform community members was a mission in which the duo spearheaded. Through Straus' campaign he reached a whole new audience who may not have been interested in politics had he not “done it for the bit.”

“I could say it was 70% for the bit and 30% serious, and it could have easily been the other way around,” says Straus in regards to his goal of running for Mayor. 

Politics are an important aspect of Straus’ life, as they are for everyone his age. Affordable housing, climate issues and safety are topics he is passionate about. Highlighting these concerns to his peers was something he felt compelled to do. If city issues affected him, he knew it was affecting those around him too. 

As serious as the issues that take over his daily life are, he didn’t feel the need to carry that gravity into his campaign. 

“Politics are funny,” says Kirshblum. “I think sometimes we can get caught up in being despondent and frustrated with the state it’s in today and give up on it. If you can find a laugh in it, you can also find positivity.” 

A large population of youth hear about politics through the jokes that are made on the topic: from memes and edits across social media about what politicians are saying, the comical moments when politicians slip up, or even the recent clip-worthy 2024 American presidential debate. 

Sometimes this can stifle progress, other times it can cause lightheartedness in a time of stress and worry. 

“Most young people may not know the exact policies of the candidates, but when you edit a video of them repeating nonsense and it reaches the right person, they can research if ‘they’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats,’ holds any substance to it, which can lead them down a rabbit hole,” says Straus. “It’s silly to think, but it’s true. It keeps young people engaged in the process.”

Straus and Kirshblum urge future voters to get involved. Local politics is a great place to start, learn about your own community, think about its  needs and how you can make an impact as a voter. 

Politics can be a scary thing, but it’s the youth’s duty to change its trajectory. Straus' campaign, although silly, shed light on the important voice that youth bring to politics and how vital young people are for a brighter future. 

As serious a subject it is, it’s okay to find humor in politics. We all need a laugh sometimes. 

The duo would also like to note their campaign is “not over yet,” and they will soon be declaring war on Toronto because “#longlivegong.”

*I would like to state for the record that we reached out for a comment from Mayor Olivia Chow but were left no response. According to Straus this could be due to her hatred toward him after he beat her in a dance battle back in 2023. We cannot confirm or deny this as not enough evidence has been provided but Straus claims that Chow is “one hell of a dancer.”

Graphics: Valerie Cheng, Dean Panellas