Justin Trudeau has a legitimate chance of being Canada’s next Prime Minister, but is he really the right choice?

It’s that time again:

Once again we find ourselves contemplating which party we should vote for as a federal election peaks its ugly head out from a distance. By now you’d think we’d be prepared for all the over-promising, mudslinging, and pre-election sweeteners designed to sway voters, but it still seems to catch us by surprise. We know hardcore faithful will tenaciously support their parties, even amongst scandals and misuse of funds, so it’s really the fence sitters Parties will be focusing on next year. Leaders will begin to make promises like seasoned poker players betting with free chips. The only difference of course; they get to stay in the game even if they gamble away your money.

So who should we vote for? The latest polls indicate Justin Trudeau and the Liberals have a slight lead, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are in second, with Tom Mulcair and the NDP a distant third; in what will likely be a minority government. If the polls are correct, is Trudeau or a minority government a healthy choice for Canadians?

What options do we really have?

Mulcair reminds me of a stubborn know-it-all high school teacher who would lower your grade if you sat too slouched or chewed gum in class. He’ll likely promise to take from the rich (corporations) and give to the poor. That may entice some lower to middle income voters, but can he be taken seriously, especially by the business community? His promises are easily made if you consider he’ll likely never have to keep them; which may be a good thing. Unfortunately, in this part of the free world if you take from the rich, they just take their ball and net and move everything to Mexico or China, leaving the poor even poorer and out of work.

Harper and the Conservatives have always come across to me as a party with the most business savvy, but the least flexibility. Will Canadian’s remain patient with the party’s no-nonsense, bottom-line focused, and tough-on-crime approach, as well as their inflexible autocratic CEO? Harper is probably the least appealing of all the leaders with the appearance of someone’s creepy uncle, but to be honest, I like the way he has handled himself in times of adversity and represents Canada on a global stage… environmentalists may disagree of course.

So what about the front running Liberals? To most Canadians they appear to be a happy medium between the Conservatives and NDP? I’ve never really had any concerns whether or not they were in power, regardless of their leader, because they’ve had decent support teams with seasoned policy makers. This time however, especially with the outlook for the next 3-5 years, should we be concerned with their leader? Justin Trudeau’s polished pop-star appearance and “nice guy” persona is sure to win over the younger demographic, and his last name is sure to win over Liberal faithful, but how will his looks and privileged background stand up to other Canadians? He seems to address the public and parliament like a high school president addressing his graduation class; scripted, practiced, and awkward when improvising. He may have been a great snowboard instructor, but how would he manage a minority government with the likes of Mulcair controlling his party’s fate and policies? How would he stand up on a global stage with the likes of Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad, Xi Jinping, or ISIS? Take away the good looks and last name, would he still be leading the Liberals? Would he make a good Prime Minister? What if he was ugly… would you still vote for him?