Phew! Election Day at last!

Here we are. Election Day at last on Tuesday, and I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, finally!

Although the election was called a little over a month ago, this campaign has seemed insufferably long. We have heard so much and been given so little I suspect many people are still wondering which way to vote, and why.

You would think after such an intense campaign that the electorate would have a clear vision as to who should govern, but some have no idea at all and plenty of folks will make the critical choice at the ballot box and not a minute before.

That’s dicey and leaves us with an outcome one could liken to Forrest Gump’s mother’s famous line: ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Truly, we don’t. Oh, all will unfold with the requisite pomp and ceremony and commentators will have plenty to say about this and that as each riding is resolved.

But there are no surprises here and only one question: will Mr. Harper gain the majority he covets or will Mr. Dion’s plan stall the Big Blue Machine?

That’s it, isn’t it? Majority or minority government?

And if it’s a minority again, what was this all about? Why were hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars spent to achieve the same result?

I don’t know about you, but if it happens I’d say we got ripped off. Yes, some people argue that minority government is a good way to regulate the way Parliament works, but there is indecision and a looming reality that no matter how efficient it is, we’ll be back to the polls soon and back to square one, people.

That’s where this election goes off the rails for me. It has been hotly contested, rugged and bloody, but I fear the purpose and message have been lost amidst the din.

We suffered pooping puffins, public apologies, misspoken words, missteps and indignation. There were personal affronts among the elaboration of priorities and, quite frankly, folks are sick of it.

That’s why I prefaced my remarks with a sigh of relief that we’re finally to the moment. On Tuesday, we take charge of all we’ve seen and heard over the past five weeks and separate the stuff from the guff.

It won’t be easy. Appearance and reality have been major players throughout this campaign and I hope voters aren’t fooled into thinking this has been a popularity contest.

Superficially, that’s how it appears. Dig a little deeper, though, and it’s about governance; which party will do what’s right for rank-and-file Canadians across the country.

That’s where it checks in for me. I don’t believe the respective leaders have shown us much that’s good this time around and most of them aren’t credible. I can’t support them in good conscience based on their performance, though I’ll certainly cast a ballot.

One vote is one voice in a democratic system and it’s a privilege to exercise that right. I’ll mark my X and use the greatest good principle to guide my hand. I trust the fine people of this country will do the same and all of us can chart a bright future come Wednesday morning.