Here I sit, watching the four potential leaders of Canada debate on television. We in Canada face a huge challenge this year with our election, much like our American friends who face a similiar dilemma. Who should I vote for if I don't like any candidate? Is there a “None of the above” checkbox?

A year ago, if you asked me who I would vote for in the next federal election, the answer was simple: Paul Martin. I liked Mr. Martin when he was finance minister. I actually hoped his boss, Jean Cretien, would step down sooner just so Paul Martin can take over the job sooner.

But now, I hope Paul Martin and the Liberals are kicked out of office on their collective behinds for the broken promises of last elections, as well as the squandering of billions of dollars of my taxes. It's ironic that “liberal” is listed as a synonym for “wasteful” in the thesaurus.

The dilemma is who to vote for if not the Fiberals. Do I vote for Stephen Harper and the Conservatives? I briefly considered it, but quite frankly the Reform / Alliance / PC / Conservative merged party needs more time to mature before it's ready to take power. A lot of former members of the Conservative party don't support the new party (take Joe Clark for example). It needs 4 more years before all of the internal squabbling is resolved and they are ready to be one cohesive party.

That leaves who? Jack Layton and the NDP? I actually like the new Jack Layton™. He was a councillor in the City of Toronto for years. I have never been a supporter of the NDP (socialists), but here I sit thinking they may be a breath of fresh air. Now, I'm not saying the NDP should take power, but what if they had enough power to keep the winning party honest? What if the had the power to resist steep tax cuts, and encourage increased spending on social programs without the power to actually ruin the finances of the country?

Strike me down with a lightening bolt. I just might vote NDP. *Shudder*