The emptiness at the heart of Canadian elections - Macleans.ca

Canadian elections are among the most aggravating in the world. Watching the leaders race around the country, bemoaning problems we don’t have, promising things we don’t need, by spending money we don’t have is exhausting. It’s like watching bad actors in an off-off-Broadway play with no plot, no meaning and no intermission.

Our leisure activities have improved so dramatically it feels like we are living in a different civilization. On date nights your parents had a choice between a bottle of Baby Duck or Black Tower—you, by contrast, have developed strong opinions about Australian varietals. Instead of a batter bag of golf clubs, you have a carbon fibre road bike, a jet ski and an Xbox.

We are all running around in a circular sprint, cheered on by a massive marketing industry that prods us to buy-consume-upgrade-repeat, and a banking industry that will lend us more and more money to do so, and a political class that promises to subsidize whatever we want most. But, shamelessly, politicians go along with the charade and promise us they can help everyone win. In truth, they know that they can only tinker on the edges, give us a small tax credit here, or drop a tiny subsidy there. One promise is slightly faster, another is slightly larger, that one comes in purple.

Scott_Gilmore Well done!

Scott_Gilmore This article is all about private consumption. We have way more of that than ever before. But we are suffering from a lack of investment in our public places and services, especially education and public transportation.

Scott_Gilmore Perhaps your next article could be on the increase in the cost of living compared to wages / recent decrease of personal financial worth by $7500 per p. I agree, Canada is a country of comfort, wealth & much to be grateful for. My concern is we are headed in the wrong direction.

Scott_Gilmore Well worded.

Scott_Gilmore Articles that no one reads...

Scott_Gilmore “Canadian elections are among the most aggravating in the world.” Remind me: which western democracy has less aggravating elections these days?

Scott_Gilmore Just brutal.

Scott_Gilmore Not to worry. We've had so few problems lately we made a frivolous choice in the last election. Now with recession looming and separatist tendencies rising in Alberta and Quebec due to inept federal leadership we won't have the luxury of frivolity much longer.

Scott_Gilmore This article read as incredibly out of touch.

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