The nation waited with bated breath on Monday evening for the results of what many have been calling the most important Canadian election of all time. After 78 days, the results came as a shock to some and a relief to others.
My children have received a bit of an education throughout this election. They have asked me whom I would be voting for and why. My older two were genuinely interested in both the physical process of voting and the thought process behind it.
So I explained, in terms they could at least somewhat understand, the different party platforms. When they asked questions, I tried my best to define the attack ads and campaign promises thrust at them when they watched television at night.
The conclusion I have drawn: politics is very difficult to explain to a child. Sure, they understand the basic concept of democracy and everything it stands for (at least the older girls, who have studied government in school, have a firm grasp of this). But explaining to a child the difference between the Conservatives, the Liberals and the NDP in the modern sense of these parties – that’s no easy task.
Honestly, most of the concepts discussed by party leaders and their representatives are above their capacity to understand. I’m sure there are some adults that have shaken their heads during the past two months too, trying to make sense of what they were hearing.
My eight-year-old shared his wisdom with me during a conversation I was having with his sisters, when one of them had asked me how I decided which candidate to vote for.
“You should vote for John Barlow, because his chili was the best,” he said matter-of-factly.
He and his sisters had all voted for John’s booth at Chili Fest in Okotoks last month. Disappointment fell when he learned that Barlow’s chili had not won first prize that day, but my boy has raved about it ever since (and he’s a kid who rarely enjoys chili, so I may have to coerce Mr. Barlow to give me his recipe).
His latest philosophy: if his chili was that good, then he should be the best person for this job.
Who can argue with that logic?
He was excited yesterday when he heard that Barlow had, in fact, won the Foothills riding.
“I told you his chili was the best,” he proclaimed proudly. I think he views the election as a consolation prize for not winning the blue ribbon at Chili Fest.
I’m not sure exactly how this all works in his eight-year-old mind.
Perhaps he envisions voting like the sample booths at Chili Fest, with people walking up to each candidate and tasting what they have to offer and then moving on, and casting their ballots in crayon at the end.
It’s not far off, I suppose. It’s what we’ve all done. We’ve listened to the debates, seen the ads, spat out the rhetoric that left a bitter taste in our mouths, threw away the words we couldn’t stomach. We’ve all filled our Dixie cups and sampled the wares of each candidate for months before picking up a ballot and marking our “x.”
Let’s just hope Canadians didn’t choose a bad batch of chili.
