The difference is that I am surrounded by political animals. I know it is going to be an unbearable 40 days and 40 nights of being swamped with political propaganda.

So far, the three major political parties (Liberals, Conservatives and NDP) are all promising the same thing in one form or another. Their giveaways are targeting middle class and lower income families. As much as I empathize with young families and the cost of daycare, I suspect down the road it is today’s daycare tots that will be paying the bills for their own daycare.

As for the 500,000 affordable housing units, it’s a drop in the bucket considering the country has over 35 million people and I doubt much from that promise will reach the Prairies. I’m looking for the leader who is going to stand up and ask how we are going to pay for all these election promises.

Although political diehards will vote the party line regardless of the leader or platform, there are those who will vote against a leader/party rather than for a leader/party. It will be a process of elimination.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was elected to Parliament in a Saskatchewan riding 15 years ago, after relocating to Regina from Ottawa. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons and was elected leader of his party in 2017. We are past the halfway mark of the election and thus far no juicy scandal has come to light. His opposition touts his association to unpopular Ontario Premier Doug Ford and links him to the fiscally-responsible former Prime Minister Steven Harper, which may or may not be true. His downfall may be his lack of charisma.

It reminds me of the election between a bright but unexciting Robert Stanfield (often touted as the best prime minister Canada never had) and Pierre Trudeau. It was the beginning of image politics and the charismatic Trudeau won, later implementing strategies proposed by Stanfield. We could be doomed to history repeating itself where image trumps substance.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has an interesting background as both an Ontario provincial politician, lawyer and social activist. After being elected federal NDP leader in 2017, he initially declined the traditional offer of running in a safe seat; but in February 2019, he changed his mind, relocated to the riding of Burnaby South where he was elected to Parliament with less than 40 per cent of the vote. Neither has he been tainted by scandal.

However, Singh struggled with being able to fill a full slate of candidates until more than halfway through the election and that, coupled with his limited parliamentary experience, makes it unlikely that his party will win. Methinks the NDP may regret ousting the experienced, centered and practical Thomas Mulcair as its leader.

Being an incumbent puts a candidate in a different zone than his/her opponents because the candidate has a record to account for. Incumbent Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s biggest assets are his surname and charismatic personality, enhanced by his experiences in the field of drama. Trudeau is a self-proclaimed feminist, although former Minister of Justice/Attorney General of Canada Jody WilsonRaybould and former President of the Treasury Board Dr. Jane Philpott might dispute that claim. They were both run out of the party because they refused to compromise their ethics and play ball with Trudeau on the SNC-Lavalin affair.

Remember that debacle? It was when Trudeau tried to manipulate the director of public prosecutions’ decision to prosecute a corrupt corporation, supposedly to save 9,000 jobs in Quebec. (Ah, had he felt that way about the tens of thousands of jobs lost in Alberta over the last few years.) When the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner exonerated these women, Trudeau said sorry and all was right in his world again.

Then there is the issue of Trudeau’s penchant for blackface. I discount the high school episode because everyone is guilty of some folly committed in their adolescence. At age 21, the blackface episode as a river guide is questionable. However, at age 29, when working as a teacher in an elite school and showing up at a black-tie event (which means wear a tuxedo or business suit) wearing an Aladdin costume and blackface goes beyond the pale.

Trudeau claims it was his white privilege that blinded him to this act of racism. Really? He grew up in a household with a father who, as a prime minister, facilitated passing the Charter of Rights (sans responsibilities), championed human rights legislation and created the Royal Commission for the Status of Women in Canada. Did father and son never converse with each other? Was this white privilege myopia or simply a sense of entitlement? But Trudeau said sorry and all is right in his world again.

Again in costume on a trip to India, Trudeau presented as a dilettante rather than a diplomat. It was a world stage and the critics panned his performance. He didn’t say he was sorry, but nonetheless in a short time all was right in his world again.

Trudeau is a consummate performer. Recently he was photographed canoeing like a modern-day voyageur. I was only surprised that it wasn’t a birch bark vessel and that he wasn’t wearing a Grey Owl costume while cuddling Jelly Roll. He paddled to shore and announced his newest promise – a $2,000 travel bursary to provide a camping experience for low income families. This is so absurd that I can’t offer any further comment.

By now you have probably figured out that Trudeau has been eliminated from my voting list. One down, four to go. Or maybe it is time to ignore the leaders and vote for the local candidate that best represents my views, the theory being that good people can prevail in doing good things.

I am so tired of media image over substance, promises made that won’t or can’t be kept, propaganda and smear tactics intended to have voters elect the lesser of all evils rather than the best of the best. Canadians are prepared to help those in need, the key word being need, be it childcare or affordable housing, but it must be as a result of a wellthought-out plan that reaches those citizens in need.

Could we just please have good governance and a fiscal plan to base our decision on instead of politicians trying to buy our votes with our money? And it wouldn’t hurt if politicians could spice it up with a little integrity.

-Elaine Hnatyshyn