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We just witnessed a leadership election where the person with the most votes lost. Next year, we will have civic elections, and I’m guessing there will be a provincial election. It’s time to really think about who we elect.

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Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute. The real problem with elected officials isn’t just who they are — it’s who puts them there. That’s us. We are the problem.

We’ve turned elections into popularity contests. We’ve started treating politicians like celebrities instead of public servants. We chase charisma. We argue about their personal lives, their beliefs, and their tweets. We worry more about who they voted for 15 years ago than whether they can do the job today.

Think about the last few elections you watched. What was the focus? Was it policy? Was it experience? No. It was personality. It was branding. It was which leader looked the part, had the better smile, or didn’t fumble a media interview. We analyze them like we’re casting for a reality show, not filling leadership positions with real consequences.

Now, imagine running a business that way. Let’s say you need someone to handle your company’s finances. Would you even consider hiring someone with no formal training, no professional background, and no history of successful financial management? Of course not. But if that person had a clean social media profile, said all the right things, and had some catchy slogans, suddenly they’d have a shot at managing billions of taxpayer dollars.

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