The Rhinoceros Party of Canada is back with a major policy plank -- a promise to nationalize Tim Hortons.

The absurd nature of the announcement was probably unsurprising to fans of the party, which has been adding humour to Canadian politics since the 1960s. At one point, the Rhinos' pledge was "a promise to keep none of our promises."

As their federal campaign gets underway, here are five things to know about Canada's most famous satirical political party:

Fringe history

They may be considered a joke, but the Rhinoceros Party has some serious roots in Canada, having put candidates on the ballot in various elections since the 1960s.

The party apparently expects to be in the political sphere for a whole lot longer: on their website, they promise to commit to a 100-yearplan "for the future of Canada."

In 1980, the Rhinos hit their political stride, with 120 candidates nationwide and a total of 110,000 votes.

Some of their past election promises include renaming the country "Nantucket," abolishing the law of gravity and uniting Quebec with Cuba to form a new country called Cubec.

In a 2011 interview with CTV Montreal, eight-time Rhino candidate Francois Gourd admitted the Rhinos don't take themselves too seriously.

"We are a Marxist-Lennonist party you see here," Gourd said. "From Groucho Marx to John Lennon."

However, Gould also acknowledged that the party aimed to keep politics fun and relevant, by encouraging more people to get out and vote.

Probably the most high profile former Rhinoceros Party candidate is Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, who ran for the party in the