This Election Is Not Normal. Vote Like It Matters.

I knew I’d made the right choice supporting the Liberals when a Conservative ad came on TV. You likely know the one: two older white men discussing the upcoming election while at the driving range.

And then it came: the insult. “These clowns.” Never mind that the ad was pretty weak sauce to begin with — there’s always an insult. And it’s been a stream of insults and name-calling for the last three years, as Poilievre has dragged the party further right, silenced moderate voices, and cheapened political discourse. As for policy, the Conservatives have had none — aside from a weird fixation on Justin Trudeau and the carbon tax. Once both were gone, they had nothing left but insults.

Sure, they finally announced something — after seven million Canadians had voted in advance polls. And they were promptly eviscerated by experts. As I’ve stated before, their defence policy is a complete non-starter and, aside from a couple of points, makes little strategic sense. Experts have said the same thing about the Conservative economic platform and their somewhat authoritarian “tough on crime” agenda.

That’s before we get to the threat from Trump and the United States. Before January, the Conservatives were content to hold hands with the most odious of MAGA personalities and were pleased to appear on far-right programming emanating from the U.S. And now we’re expected to forget all that — and Poilievre’s support for the Convoy and the “Fuck Trudeau” gang — and believe that there’s been an epiphany and that now they’re in the best position to confront Trump.

The Conservatives can’t keep a lid on it. The “protests” and intimidation outside Liberal rallies have made news, and the “Fuck Carney” flags are available on Amazon. Preston Manning has been trotted out to intone ominously about an increase in “Western” (really Albertan) separatism should Canada be so foolish as to re-elect the Liberals. If you can’t win with policy, perhaps a threat will work — right?

“Ah,” you say, “but Black Cloud, you’re a hypocrite. You use terms like ‘Maple MAGA’ and ‘traitor’ quite freely and describe people as ‘fascist’ and ‘far right.’”

Absolutely correct. But I reserve such vitriol for those outside normal discourse — or for those who would willingly sell Canada out to the United States. I don’t lump Poilievre or most of his party into this category, as some do. I use my name-calling as a precision weapon.

So, we’re three days away from the final vote — the most decisive in my lifetime. Had Justin Trudeau stayed on, I genuinely don’t know what I’d do. As a true centrist, I thought he’d pulled the Liberals too far to the left, that he fixated on pet issues, that he permitted an explosion in the federal public service, and that he displayed absolutely no interest in defence or national security — aside from employing it for political reasons. It was only after he announced his resignation that Trudeau began to speak for Canada and confront the threat from Trump.

But he’s gone. The evil carbon tax is gone. And the Liberals are approaching issues with the gravitas that the current situation demands. Yes, I’m concerned by their track record on a variety of issues, and there’s much to criticise in their approach to defence and national security. I’m concerned by reports that Carney may not have confronted Trump as forcefully as he made out. However, at least there’s something to criticise and discuss. And they’re not full of insults in a situation where the attack ads write themselves.

Many of my friends — all veterans — will be voting Conservative this time. They had major issues with Justin Trudeau and his approach to governance, all of which I understand and mention above. However, in doing so, I think they’re forgetting the Conservative track record on support to veterans and national defence. That’s a shame, but that’s their right.

Many others, though, are thinking like I am — that this isn’t an ordinary election, and that electing a government led by someone whose sole real experience is acting as his party’s attack dog isn’t a great idea. And that policy and experience matter.

At least I hope so.

Please vote on Monday if you haven’t already.