A recent road trip took me through five Canadian provinces — Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. It turned out to be an eye-opening education in how Canada’s political culture changes completely the moment you step away from Parliament Hill.

While official Ottawa is consumed with all things Duffy, Harper, Mulcair, Trudeau and … er, Duffy, a much different reality is at play across Canada, where people are far more consumed with squeezing a little more fun out of the waning summer than with tracking the leaders and their daily policy pitches. So here’s a broad summary of what I was hearing from friends, relatives and complete strangers. (Names withheld to protect the disgruntled.)

Wait … there’s an election?

Setting aside the hardcore political junkies and those who watch the evening news every night, many of the people I talked to didn’t even know we’re in an election campaign. One 20-something put it succinctly: “Now all the ads on TV make sense.”

Just as the last five minutes of a close game is far more interesting than the first inning, Election 42 is still background noise for most Canadians.

Winds of change are blowing … but in which direction?

Many of the people I spoke to said they believe we need a new government in Ottawa. “People around here say it’s time for a change,” said a woman who runs a bed-and-breakfast in New Brunswick. She also said that the people she talks to are having a hard time putting their trust in the other options.

So far, ‘none of the above’ seems to be the preferred option for many Canadians. We’ve reached the point where voters actually expect politicians to break their promises — which makes it hard to engage them on policy. So far, ‘none of the above’ seems to be the preferred option for many Canadians. We’ve reached the point where voters actually expect politicians to break their promises — which makes it hard to engage them on policy.

We’ve seen this force at work before. In several recent provincial elections the polling indicated an appetite for change — but when the vote got close that ‘time for a change’ factor became less of a driver once people took the time to review the alternatives in detail. Whether the same phenomenon repeats itself at the federal level this fall is anyone’s guess — but it’s clear that a lot of Canadians who want a change in government still haven’t picked a horse in this race.

Mike Duffy is no OJ

They called the OJ Simpson trial the “Trial of the Century” for a while. Those journalists and observers who would love to attach the same label to the Duffy trial obviously forgot to tell anyone outside the Ottawa bubble. Just as a lot of people only woke up to the election because of the political ads on TV, people are only vaguely aware of the Mike Duffy trial because it’s being heavily covered by the parliamentary press gallery. And it’s only the talk of the town in Ottawa (and perhaps in P.E.I.).

What have you done for me lately?

When my political chats advanced to a point where actual policy and issues came up, people started owning up to the fact that they’re approaching this election with an eye on the bottom line. “Without income splitting, my family will send more of our hard-earned money to Ottawa,” said one man heavily in favour of the Harper government’s tax policy. “The government wants to punish those who collect EI and that’s just mean,” a seasonal worker told me.

I’m not suggesting that we are completely uncaring and self-interested. But in the absence of big national issues driving the overall debate, we’re seeing people making their choices on the basis of what the parties are offering them personally — things like tax cuts or free daycare. It’s like how, when there’s an in-flight emergency on a commercial aircraft, the flight crew always tells you to secure your own oxygen mask before helping anyone else. Canadians are most likely to react or respond to developments in this campaign when they feel their personal interests are at stake.

A pox on all their houses

And here’s what should worry all the parties and their candidates: so far, “none of the above” seems to be the preferred option for many Canadians. We’ve reached the point where voters actually expect politicians to break their promises — which makes it hard to engage them on policy. “Politicians are all the same,” one lady told me. She also said she probably won’t vote. “What’s the point?”

With interest low and cynicism high, it’s hardly surprising that Canadians haven’t tuned in yet. But when they do, it will be interesting to see how this unprecedented mix of self-interested voting groups, apathy, an appetite for change and election fatigue drives the results. So far, it’s anyone’s guess.

Adam Taylor is a director at ENsight Canada and a former director of communications in the Harper government.

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