Sweet Home Sussex Drive

Our leaders are now entering the home stretch of their 11-week, cross-country federal election campaign. But when the home in question sits at Ottawa’s 24 Sussex Drive, the stakes are high.

Only two election campaigns in our history have been longer than this year’s 78 days, and they were the very first two. In those early years following Confederation, longer campaigns were necessary because voting was staggered and travel and communication were slow. It’s interesting to note, though, that four of the last five campaign seasons were only five weeks long.

This may seem like a flash in the pan compared with the hoopla and name-calling that is occurring south of the border, but election 2015 still will be the most expensive election in the nation’s history. And it’s our money they are playing with too.

If you’re like me, you’ve always found elections to be like the movie “The Money Pit” — too long and not very funny. So what are we getting out of these photo ops, speeches, and appearances? You guessed it: promises.

Norman Vincent Peale, the man who wrote The Power of Positive Thinking, once said that promises are like crying babies in a theater, they should be carried out at once, and I tend to agree. If an advanced manufacturing hub in Burlington, Ont., is a great idea – and it is – then why promise it only at election time? If the PMO should champion the country’s aerospace sector – and it should – then why bring the matter up only when votes are needed?

What we really need isn’t promises, it’s action.

Canada’s manufacturing sector is in decline, and has been since the start of the 21st century. According to Statistics Canada, manufacturing output has dropped 11 percent in the past 15 years. Employment in the sector is down more than 10 percent.

To turn this trend around the government needs to put pressure on large manufacturers to remain in Canada and not seek out lower-wage countries like Mexico, which recently surpassed Canada in vehicle production.

The government also needs to continue helping Canadian businesses find new markets by seeking out more international trade agreements.

Finally, new investment in infrastructure, like the Gordie Howe International Bridge, is necessary to reduce the time to market for Canadian-made goods.

These three acts can help a weakening sector return to health. Let your MP and the nation know how you feel … get out and vote.