Democracy inaction

This federal election is like no other I’ve ever seen. First off, the NDP has become irrelevant. Their leader, Jagmeet Singh, is telling voters that Parliament works better when there’s a strong third party that can “hold the powerful to account.” That’s not exactly a slogan, more like a faint hope, but I guess that’s all he’s got. 
Second, now that Mark Carney’s Liberals are in the lead with two weeks left to go, he keeps calling cabinet meetings and disappearing from the campaign trail for days at a time as if retreat is the safest bet.
Third, the lying about crowd size has taken nose-stretching to new heights. According to a scientific study conducted by CBC, the Edmonton rally that the Conservatives claimed drew 15,000, was actually 1,558. 
Fourth, Quebec voters have abandoned the Bloc Quebecois. They’re rushing to the Liberals despite Carney’s limited French and his flawed knowledge of an event as searing as the 1989 mass shooting at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. Never in the past has Quebec embraced a unilingual leader.
Moreover, I’m tired of these staged “news conferences” where a leader stands behind a podium festooned with some slogan while beyond him are a corralled group of union members, teachers or some other concoction to give the impression of support. My favourite moment among the many staged presentations I’ve seen came recently when one member of the standing-room-only gave a big yawn. Perfect!
Nor do I recall in the past ever seeing such fluctuation in the polls. Pierre Poilievre was ahead of the Liberals by 25 points for the longest time. In recent weeks, there was a switcheroo after the newly reviled Justin Trudeau stepped down and, suddenly, the Liberals led by nine.
Two days ago that lead shrank to six points, according to Nanos Research. There’s even one survey just published by something called Innovative Research that has the Tories ahead 38-37.
Beyond all these cited differences from the past, I can’t recall a time when so much was promised by so many for so few listeners. Daily the announcements concerning taxes, retirees, families, you-name-it, pile up to the sky.
The only commentator who’s making any sense is political consultant Kory Teneycke on his Curse of Politics podcast. When Poilievre lost the lead, Teneycke called it “campaign malpractice.” 
I can only assume the election results on April 28 will be a continuation of this fraught campaign with surprises in store.