TORONTO – Day three and our federal election is already puzzling, to say the least. Normally, elections are a judgement on the performance and accomplishments of the ‘exiting’ administration, resulting in reward or punishment. It is typically “about the facts” – events that have happened, if the outcome matters to anyone, and who deserves the blame or the credit. 

Usually, those facts represent “pocketbook issues”: are we better off today than when the current crowd assumed control? For instance, is our bank balance better? How so? Put differently, are we dedicated to paying off the mortgage on our “collective asset”, our GDP, and what are we getting in return?

According to World Economics 2025, which compiles economic and fiscal data for financial institutions world-wide, the most positive global assessment of our economic condition is that our national debt is 95% of our GDP, $2.392 trillion; rounded to $60,000 for every Canadian, regardless of age or sex. All values expressed in USD, today valued at 1.42 Canadian.

However, this being Canada, the weather and geography are producing “twists” in the usual course of campaigning and the emergence of new approaches in interpreting what is on the public’s mind. The word “fight”, and variations of what that implies politically, is the mot du jour. It reveals much about what political organizations think will attract the public’s attention and win over its favour.

The NDP, for example, isolated in wintery Montreal, managed to conjure up an outdoor gymnasium so that its leader, Jagmeet Singh, might show off some boxing skills as he “fights for you”. Shades of the bout between Trudeau and Brazeau, in March of 2012. Ho Hum. Nobody joined in to watch.

On the other hand, several thousand people jammed an event centre in North York to watch and listen to the CPC’s Pierre Poilievre – who looked as if he “has been working out” – deliver a cogent, vigorous plan to start the way ahead. Canada’s national broadcaster covered almost the entire speech live but cut away with this nugget (I paraphrase) yes, it was good, but there are so many errors we cannot provide a fact check in the time available.

Really? Nobody asked how unprepared the Media was. Perhaps the CBC should reimburse the public’s $15 billion it managed to squeeze from the public purse over the last ten years.

The Libs’ Mark Carney somehow found himself in far away locations where the crowds were so sparse that he could wax professorial about what tax policies could, or might not, work. His team has coined a new slogan – elbows up – to convey the image of a scrapper in hockey, as per the legendary Gordie Howe… remember him?

By the end of day, all three (four, including the Bloc) leaders had agreed to two debates, in Mid- April. Liberal Mark Carney turned down a third one for French language TVA.  After April 2, who knows what the main issue,  President Trump, will be.

Maybe the fight for you motif will no longer be academic.