OTTAWA - Canadians know an election is in our future - it has not been very difficult to spot the posturing and electioneering. I understand that in a minority government situation, tension and obstinacy are usually in ample supply around Ottawa. Yet, I can hardly recall a time when politicians heaped so much attention on what is, for all intents and purposes, a speculative election.

It has been clear that Canada's left-leaning media institutions have been agitating for an election for several months. They will pick up any rumours on this front and run with them, as their hope to replace this Conservative government is essentially their guiding mantra. This, sadly, is not much of a surprise. One would hope that media institutions would defer to public interest in shaping their ambitions.

But, after all, media institutions these days are in the business of 'hype.'  It is our federal politicians who should know better.

The expression that comes to mind is, "either sh** or get off the pot." Canadians are, quite frankly, tiring of this speculative election discussion. Even responsible news agencies, such as this one, have been forced into this circus by the constant claims of the federal party. Surely they know, that after crying wolf so often, their core of support has just about lost interest in their claims. Whether it is Jack Layton or Michael Ignatieff discussing who they 'likely' will not be able to tolerate this Conservative minority government any longer, trading these barbs has become uninteresting. Stephen Harper's Conservative have also thrown their hats into the ring with a series of aggressive ads targeting Ignatieff's leadership. While the claims in these ads are verifiable, the aggressive tone leaves no room for waffling - these are election ads.

Yet, according to recent polling information, only a small fraction of the Canadian public - some 15% - is even paying attention to federal politics at the moment. One is forced to wonder just how self-serving these 'election' ads and rumour mongering tactics really are. In all of this posturing, however, it is the Canadian taxpayer who really loses out. When Parliament is sitting, it is a well-known fact that an MP can spend up to half of their time preparing and preening for Question Period. This has become, without question, a colossal waste of time and energy.

One would think that our federal politicians would be more careful with their newly embraced election brinksmanship. Michael Ignatieff, while still enjoying the support of the Liberal party is in quite a precarious position. A recent poll suggested that around 75% of Liberal supporters think he should step down if his party fares poorly in the next election. Even Stephen Harper has been facing widespread consternation from within his support base over spending and financial issues. Many Conservative supporters feel that Harper has overspent public money and has stumbled in attempts to balance the budget. The recent controversy over providing federal funding for a Quebec City hockey arena has not helped matters - while some votes may be won in Quebec through such measures, the widespread outcry has suggested that many more votes would be lost.

If only we could give our political leaders a 'time-out' for even mentioning the word 'election' over the next several months. While this sounds foolish, sometimes stubborn animals need a good prod before they begin to work productively again.