Would You Hire Your MLA, City Councillor or MP? Then Why Vote for Them?

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.

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

It’s insane when you really think about it. We’re trusting people to handle public money, oversee major infrastructure projects, negotiate with foreign governments, manage public safety, and many of them have never managed a budget larger than their own household.

This isn’t a shot at any one politician. This is about a broken system we’ve allowed to grow and thrive.

We keep electing people who treat government like a platform for activism or personal branding. People who have never worked in the private sector. People who see elected office as a stepping stone to something else, not as a job with real responsibilities.

If you had an employee who repeatedly made poor decisions, ignored deadlines, broke promises, and spent far more than they brought in, you wouldn’t just sit there and watch. You’d fire them. You’d replace them with someone more competent.

So why don’t we do that at the ballot box?

Why do we keep rewarding failure with re-election?

Why do we look the other way when promises are promises, deficits grow, and services decline?

We’ve allowed loyalty to parties or personalities to override basic logic. We pick teams. We treat elections like sporting events. We back candidates not because they’ve earned the job, but because we don’t like the other side.

And here’s the worst part — we’re often the same people who will complain about rising taxes, bad roads, long ER wait times, and growing debt. We shake our heads at the news, and post our frustration online, but when it comes time to vote, we fall for the same gimmicks.

We have to change how we think.

We need to start treating elections like hiring decisions. Because that’s exactly what they are.

These are job interviews for some of the most important roles in our society. And the people we hire should be qualified. They should be experienced. They should have a record of performance and accountability.

Would you hire someone to be your lawyer just because they say nice things? Would you hire a mechanic because they know how to speak in front of a crowd?

No. You’d look at their track record. You’d check their references. You’d ask tough questions.

We need to do the same with politicians.

Can they read a budget? Have they ever created jobs or managed a payroll? Have they actually done anything — anything — that suggests they know how to lead, manage, and deliver results?

If the answer is no, then why are we handing them power?

And let’s stop pretending that the only options are between two bad choices.

We can demand better. But first, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We can’t expect professional leadership if we keep voting like amateurs.

Stop being impressed by applause lines. Ignore the campaign theatrics. Look past the branding. Get into the weeds — the boring stuff. Who has the skills? Who has the experience? Who’s talking about real outcomes, not just talking points?

It’s time we raise the bar, not for them, for us.

We need to elect professionals, not performers. Builders, not bloggers. Managers, not activists.

If we’re serious about fixing our cities, provinces, and country, then we have to take our role more seriously.

The next election isn’t a popularity test. It’s a performance review.

And if someone isn’t qualified to lead a company, they shouldn’t be leading a government.

Are we finally ready to act like employers instead of fans?

Because until we are, nothing changes.