With the 2011 federal election coming to a close on May 2, Canadians can't perhaps be faulted for looking back on this the fourth national campaign in seven years with a sense of dissatisfaction and disillusionment.
At a cost of about $300 million, the campaign has played out largely as predicted, with all parties basically sticking to the exact positions they held before the race began and voters wondering if the price has really been worth paying.
The fact that there was no one critical issue facing the nation has made this campaign very much like the one in 2008, with the Conservatives calling on voters to take the plunge and finally give Mr. Harper the majority he's been after for years.
On the other side the Liberals and NDPs have once again made keeping majority power out of Harper's hands one of their absolute top priorities.
And, as in the 2008 campaign, the various parties have made widespread use of scare tactics, both in speeches and in political advertising.
In particular, TV ads from the Conservatives and Liberals have been anything but civil, with the Tories claiming time and again that only majority power can save Canada from a dreaded coalition controlled by the separatist Bloc Quebecois.
The Liberals, on the other hand, have been equally vigorous in their attacks on the Tories, with their TV ads claiming Stephen Harper only wants a majority Parliament so he can push his right-wing agenda without the meddlesome opposition getting in his way.
Yet is it really surprising that the fight between the Liberals and Conservatives has been so bitter? A quick glance at any Question Period session in the House of Commons over the last seven years will show the very same outright hostility between Grits and Tories.
Regardless of how things turn out on May 2, there can be little doubt that the next Parliament will carry over much of the same outright hostility that has been so widespread on the campaign trail, particularly at the national leadership level.
Many Canadian voters have become cynical and jaded about politics, and can anyone blame them?
With a provincial election now on the horizon, West Central Alberta residents might be wondering if they will very soon be in for a big helping of more of the same down-and-dirty politics.
Yet wouldn't it be nice if the Alberta candidates focused their attention, not on slamming their opponents at every turn, but on making a concerted effort to hear voter concerns and adjust their policies, programs and proposals accordingly? That would certainly be a nice and welcome change.
