Stealth mode

This is, bar none, the quietist election I’ve ever known. I can’t tell if no one cares or if there is a storm brewing and a government is about to be thrown out in Ontario. Only one party has been to my door canvassing. With but ten days to go, the other campaigns mustn’t have enough volunteers.

There’s no question that Tim Hudak stumbled out of the gate. His sound bites about “foreign workers” were tasteless. Those who saluted were already voting for him anyway. But there must have many voters who cringed and thought, “He’s as bad as I feared.”

And yet, the polls say that the PCs and the Liberals are tied. A minority government looms with the NDP as kingmaker. It has always been said that people don’t vote for minority governments but maybe that’s changed. We grew so accustomed to minorities in Ottawa that seemed to work we now want one in Ontario.

In this climate, tomorrow night’s debate is crucial. The winner becomes premier.