Global, like NBC, has already come out a winner in Tuesday’s U.S. election, thanks to the high returns on Saturday Night Live, which has more than doubled its last season average among Canucks, thanks to appearances by Sarah Palin and John McCain.

Global averaged nearly 700,000 viewers on Saturday with the episode featuring McCain, who opened the show and also appeared in the Weekend Update segment. The Republican presidential nominee was upstaged by his would-be VP, however, whose highly anticipated Oct. 18 appearance on the long-running sketch show scored 840,000 viewers. Palin was featured alongside SNL vet Tina Fey, whose dead-on Palin impressions have caused a sensation in the news. (All numbers 2+.)

SNL is currently averaging over 500,000 viewers, compared with the 332,000 that tuned in last fall on Global. A Global spokesperson says the Palin episode is the highest-rated ep since at least 2004, which is as far back as the caster’s data goes.

Over on NBC, nearly 15 million Americans tuned in for the Palin installment — SNL‘s highest-rated episode since 1994 — while roughly 12 million viewers watched McCain, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who was set to appear on SNL in September, cancelled his appearance in the wake of Hurricane Ike.

Global also aired the two-hour special SNL Presidential Bash on Monday at 9 p.m. Numbers were not available at press time.

Meanwhile, the second season premiere of Global drama series The Guard took a hit in the ratings last Wednesday, when it managed just 384,000 viewers, down from the 813,000 that tuned in for its debut in January. The show averaged roughly 500,000 viewers for its first season. The Guard faces tough competition in its 10 p.m. timeslot from CSI: NY on CTV.