On the eve of our national election, the Hawk Road has tried to dip its feet in the icy waters of politics in an effort to sway the minds of those undecided or uninspired voters who may or may not choose to visit the polling stations tomorrow. After waiting in line at the Oxford Theatre in Halifax to see "Fahrenheit 9/11", a pimply popcorn server came out and told the mob that stretched down Quinpool Rd that it had been sold out for the ninth straight showing in the past three days. The Hawk Road saw a flicker of anxiety in the big city, as people frantically read the papers and chatted hurriedly, hoping to be given a concrete reason to cast their X one way or the other. While most will likely keep their final decision to themselves, the Hawk Road has decided not to. For those of you who are looking for a relatively ignorant point of view to agree with, this Hawk Talk is for you.

Several of those that had seen "Fahrenheit 9/11" and were waiting in line for a second time were surprisingly passionate about the bad taste it left in their mouth. Michael Moore followed Bush's stale bread crumbs back to his roots, passing a dark collection of eye-opening alliances with Middle East Big Oil and political terrorists along the way. Essentially, releasing the movie before the US election is the equivalent of releasing "Sea Biscuit" the weekend before Smarty Jones' took a shot at the triple crown. Everyone will rush to see it and this can be nothing but disastrous for Bush, and most everyone agrees that's how it should be. On this side of the border, the implications of its release may not be as evident in the final stats on Monday, but it nevertheless will coax Canada's citizens to ponder the wild and whacky world of the sinister Suits that run our country. The Hawk Road finds Moore a strange poster-boy for change, with his goofy ball caps and plumber-butt spreading controversy in a relatively soft-spoken manner as far as documentarians go. This, his second triumph after "Bowling For Columbine", will pave the way for martyrdom, especially if he is felled by a .22 calibre at point-blank range as many predict.

On this side of the fence, Liberal leader Paul Martin has his own trail of bread crumbs, though they are fewer and much less lethal. Before the election was announced, it was predicted he would land more ridings than Mulrooney, with estimates of between 210 and 230 seats in Ottawa after the smoke cleared. There are different opinions on why last week's premature survey showed the race to be within a percentage point for the two front-runners. Some say Martin fucked up when he pushed Chretien's experienced campaign managers aside and put some of his own rookies at the wheel. Instead of focussing on Martin's impeccable record as finance minister in which he and Chretien cut away at the deficit for many years while maintaining their integrity, this new team of bull-shitters decided to declare war on the Progressive Conservative's Stephen Harper. Canada does not enjoy this form of name-calling and bullying, and they let Martin's gang know it. Early surveys actually had Martin behind at one point. It is in these last weeks that the true colors of both party leaders have flickered through the fog like a limp lighthouse.

As Martin and Harper scrambled to drive home their fundamental differences last week, it was Martin who had shed his thick skin of indifference and appealed to the cameras and journalists with a huge level of conviction. Like the Hawk Road, it was almost as if he feared that Harper may actually win, and that his Canada would never be the same again. The reality of the situation is that a minority government will likely result, meaning that one party or the other will hold more seats, but not enough to wear the immunity necklace. Martin changed his strategy when he realized this, and beckoned out to the praries, mountains and coasts to think twice about voting for Jack Layton's NDP party. While he is correct in saying that a vote for the NDP is essentially a vote for their ally PCs, it will have the early founders of democracy rolling over in their graves. Layton's promise-list is indeed more appealing than Harper's, and voters should not be faced with the moral choice of denying the favoured party leader their vote because of far-reaching consequences. While it is more ethical than out-right slandering Harper as he has been doing, it is still dirty pool. Before we pass judgement, however, we must peel Martin's orange and see what's at the core.

When Chretien (God bless him) left, he and a few others left a bad spill for Martin to mop up. The sponsorship scandal is still fresh in everybody's minds, and while there's a corporate crook born every day in the States, Canadians do not take the wasting of their beefy taxes lightly. As finance minister, Martin had to share the blame even though he strongly denies being directly involved.

Staring this one blemish on his short stint as prime minister straight in the face, Martin has appealed to us to accept his heart-felt apology and to now look toward the future. If you get out the calculator that came with your Sports Illustrated membership, you'll find the guy has saved Canada more money than he could ever squander. He's a likable, dimply old guy who knows his way around the office. While Mandela rallied his people to find compassion, Martin is attempting to re-unite Canada's tax dollars with its first true parent...social programs. They are Canada's identity, our bread and butter, if you will. While Harper focused his campaign on the rich and independant provinces of BC, Alberta, and Ontario, Martin spread the promise of hope to the little guys in the east with a strong and steady voice. Martin does not sing the same song about tax cuts and intensive city-based programs that push us closer to being Americana novelty-store items. Paul Martin knows that tax dollars are at the needed levels to support those who face more obstacles than the average Joe. He also now knows that those tax dollars have to be used in a prudent and beneficial way to maintain Chretien's legacy. Paul Martin's a smart guy, on paper and in person, make no mistake about it.

Ultimately, the choice facing voters is whether to vote for the person or the party. On a personal level, Stephen Harper is a cross between a corpse and a piece of faded cardboard. He does not get excited during heated debates, and if there's no one focussing on him he tends to drift off to his happy place as an extra in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. He is not passionate, and his resume is unproven. The PC party, generally speaking, represents small changes that lead to privatization and "everyone looks after themselves" philosophies. He does not represent the Hawk Road's vision of a representative at a world-wide forum. The Hawk Road does not want him to speak on its behalf.

Jack Layton is suitable as a Boy Scout troop leader, but not capable of swaying the nation's balance. In this case, it will be a vote based on party preference. The NDP have clawed their way out of the cellar of disrespect, and many would rather take sides with the poodle than the two big dogs. It is, in reality, a vote that may not bring any results to you on a local level. The NDP's voice is still squeaky, and the Green party's is mute. The Hawk Road does not wish to discourage you to leave your couch and cast your mark, however. If the act of voting at all is dependant on you voting for who you truly respect, than it is better than not voting at all. Canada sent strong advertising campaigns through various forms of media this year in an attempt to correct the decreasing voter turnouts, especially among young people. The opinions of the Hawk Road are here only to remind you of certain things if you find yourself stumped when you get there.

The Bloc leader is a likeable and funny man who, like Martin, is genuine and down-to-earth. The Hawk Road's brain is still a little fuzzy from Friday night's Hawk pub crawl in the city, but I think his name is Gilles Duceppe. He represents separatists, however, whether he likes the idea behind closed doors or not, and we Canadians cannot endorse that way of thinking. The French population is not the only minority running rampant, and Canada must embrace our differences for the common good. The old folks are pissed off when they hear a foreign accent, but we must realize that the next generation will sound like us and they will be undeniably Canadian. Our country is peaceful (after the further cuts in the military, we have to be), it is beautiful (except for the tar sands up north, but no one can see them anyway), and it is friendly (as Michael Moore clearly demonstrated in "Bowling for Columbine"). We must have a prime minister who reflects these qualities and, though he may not be beautiful, he would not have gone to Iraq as Chretien didn't and he's an intelligent man you could actually go out drinking with. He is in this for Canada, not himself. If he gets a minority government, he will be slightly disappointed, but pleased that he still has a voice in keeping Canada on course. In the wake of the disasters that threatened our international reputation in the form of mad cow disease and s.a.r.s., we have survived by means of helping our fellow man when he is down, the foundation of the social programs like child and health care that Martin endorses. Some say this vote is about the lesser of two evils, but it is Stephen Harper and his uninteresting PC policies alone that scare the Hawk Road.

Winston Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst form of government, but the best one we have tried so far."

Vote Liberal on Monday, June 28th. The Hawk Road is.