When it comes to provincial politics, everyone has their own point of view.

And fair enough: a provincial election means thinking about the issues that are important to all of us, issues such as health care, education and shopping on Sundays.

But it’s tough to hear the political platforms clearly with the flurry of opinion coming from the media, other politicians and the population at large.

Yesterday I thanked my bus driver for the ride, and as I got off the bus he said, “Vote PCs,” and handed me a button.

One need only look to the fact that Hugh McFadyen ran Sam Katz’s successful 2004 by-election campaign – which McFadyen proudly states on the provincial PC website – to know that this city is one that is run with a Progressive Conservative bias.

Former city councillor Gord Steeves is running for the Tories in this election, in the riding of Seine River.

These examples help to explain the piles of red tape that go into setting up an efficient bike lane system, or the first branch of a rapid transit system that appears to be useful only to University of Manitoba students.

When a provincial election is looming, such political allegiances can taint the public’s opinion.

To the general public, political messages are muddled as it is.

It doesn’t help that the Conservatives’ radio and television campaigns come off as smear.

Just like their national counterparts, the provincial PCs are basing their election strategy on attacking the NDP.

McFadyen has found a subtler way of aiming his attack, as he doesn’t always address Premier Greg Selinger directly in these ads.

Instead, we see him looking around a rundown neighbourhood, speaking with children and telling us that change is needed.

On the national level, bashing the NDP was also the misguided Liberals’ tactic, and we see where it got them.

When we consider the federal Liberals’ lack of integrity in the campaign, it is more than a little satisfying that their showing was so poor.

The Winnipeg Sun is with the PCs on their campaign, running covers that depict Premier Greg Selinger as a cartoonish buffoon, and featuring stories with gimmicky titles like “Selinger’s just not that into responsible spending.”

The Sun has always been big on the catchy headline, but this election has been coming on for many months, and it’s tough to regard any message that appears to be attacking one of the three leaders as anything but politically motivated.

Of course, everyone’s allowed to speak their mind, but sometimes this gets to an unsavoury level.

Let’s not forget that politics are to be centered first and foremost on the issues. All that matters is that each candidate is able to speak clearly, and that we are able to make our own decisions based on the issues, as well as on each party’s stance.

Whether you vote NDP, Liberal or PC, nobody benefits from obscured platforms.

But as in the case of our recent national election, I fear the pomp may already be overtaking the substance.

Who knows? Maybe there wasn’t much substance to be had in the first place.

Trevor Graumann is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg and The Uniter’s comments editor.

Published in Volume 66, Number 2 of The Uniter (September 8, 2011)