These are new and exciting times

… in CANADIAN POLITICS that is (sorry if you were expecting something else.)

Nenshi is the new mayor of Calgary as anyone keeping an eye on local news should know. Harvard graduate, business owner and Muslim, Nenshi targeted the young, the intelligent and those who wanted a gust of fresh air over the city. For the first time in many years we have seen a substantial voter turnout and whether that vote was for the better or not, we’ll just have to wait and see.

But something else just recently happened on the other side of the country in Toronto. Approximately a week ago, a man named Rob Ford became the next-in-line to be mayor of Toronto. And perhaps soon it will be clear exactly why this is so interesting.

Take a look at Rob and one might associate him with some tough, unintelligent brute who just stumbled in at the right time. Unlike Nenshi, Rob never completed his undergraduate degree in university. He has said certain things in City Council which others may consider to be no-no’s, like calling cyclists “a pain in the ass” and if they are killed by traffic it is their own fault. He has used some offensive language in public, was arrested in 1999 for possession of marijuana, and tried to purchase illegal OxyContin for a gay man. One might wonder how a man like him ever got to be near politics.

When we speak of politicians, the suave suit-wearing man immediately comes to mind. He has all of the solutions and he can dress up his words in a way that appeals to the public. Well in that case, no wonder Rob Ford is now mayor. Rob Ford doesn’t try to sound intelligent or verbose, but rather he simply says what he thinks. When he confessed his D.U.I. arrest to the public, his popularity saw a significant rise. When he explained that he tried to purchase OxyContin for the man because he seemed to be disturbed and suicidal, the public sympathized with him. And when he proposed to cut down City Council spending and prevent events such as the Toronto garbage strike in the future, the crowd was tipped to its toes. As a result, as if overcoming all insults and ridicule and coming out stronger each time, Rob Ford won the race for mayor with 47% of the votes; almost a majority. Nenshi couldn’t muster 40%.

There is a significant public opinion of politicians here. After the turmoils and the mismanagement by former mayor David Miller, people were sick of the suited men who pretend that they all have the most perfect of answers. They are obviously tired of hearing the same spiel over and over again and never seeing their overly expected changes to actually happen.  Here stands a man who is humble, relatable, and says exactly what he thinks should be done. Quite clearly, the public sees Rob Ford as a much better option than say, Smitherman, who won’t be mayor of Toronto anytime soon. Across the border we see the rise of the Tea Party, with their iconic politician as Sarah Palin, who too was ridiculed for her common straight-forwardness. Maybe in the future, we won’t see her in the same light.

Of course, Ford is now a major politician and unfortunately, all politicians are liars and he will probably be the same. The difference is how well you can cover up your lies while still keeping the public relatively satisfied. Ford is promising some pretty significant changes to the city of Toronto and like Nenshi, only time will tell how he will go down in history.

Sources: CBC news, Maclean’s, National Post.