Earl Grey for Premier: Tuxedo Party leader releases campaign platform

Earl Grey, the leader of the Tuxedo Party of Canada, has declared himself a candidate for premier in the Nova Scotia election. (The Tuxedo Party of Canada)

There’s a new breed of political candidate on Nova Scotia’s campaign trail and he has a tail.

Earl Grey has declared himself a candidate for premier in the Nova Scotia election, hoping his cat campaign will raise awareness about feline issues across the province.

Earl Grey is the new leader of the Tuxedo Party of Canada, taking over after the death of his brother, Tuxedo Stan.

The Tuxedo Party was formed in 2012 by a group of friends seeking solutions for the overpopulation of cats in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Tuxedo Stan ran for mayor of HRM (although he was not officially on the ballot) using his campaign to raise awareness of the plight of cats in the area and the need for a low cost spay-neuter program.

His campaign earned him international attention, with mentions on the CTV National News, Anderson Cooper 360 and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

While Tuxedo Stan had his sights set on the provincial election, he lost his battle with cancer a day after the election was announced.

According to his website, Tuxedo Stan was euthanized “on his favourite rainbow rug” on Sept. 8.

Committed to his brother’s cause, Earl Grey has decided to take the reins in raising awareness about the issues affecting cats across the province.

He released his campaign platform Tuesday. It includes revisions to the province’s Animal Protection Act, pushing for affordable spay and neuter programs to control the cat population and increasing funding to the SPCA for animal cruelty investigations.