By Emily Stonehouse

As someone who writes words for a living, I am often captivated by the weight some add to fly-away terms. During election times, a series of buzz words are so frequently thrust into our vicinity.

We hear big talk about housing, about accessibility, about cost of living, about inter-provincial trade, about putting Canada first. There is a sense of nationalism that has accompanied this federal election in a way I have never seen before, and the only place I will give Donald Trump credit is that he has made us acutely aware of how much greater our country is.

But these buzz words seem to be what people want to hear. As they float into our ears, the politicians hope they stick and land there; a piece of the puzzle clicking into place for when voting time rolls around.

But these words are just words; with the added pressure ground into them from the voices who yell louder than us.

When I spoke to Conservative rep Jamie Schmale, he’s no stranger to buzz words. It was a smooth conversation. He told me exactly what I wanted to hear, how I wanted to hear it. Ah yes, housing, ah yes, accessibility, ah yes, the cost of living, ah yes, inter-provincial trade.

Ah yes, those are all things we need. Thank you. Have a nice day.

It was to the point, quick, simple, easy; those pieces clicking into place and forming the puzzle for what we need in Canada.

When I spoke to Liberal Nell Thomas, it was different. It was bold, choppier, and real. We chatted on a stormy day, while she was preparing chicken soup to quell a cough. She was immensely present, passionate, and personal. A breath of fresh air. Suddenly, my puzzle pieces were shuffled around. She challenged the buzzed terms with gusto, took the weight off those words with tangible plans.

Where the local Conservatives sit comfy on their seasoned and smooth waters, the Liberals have added a grassroots approach to humans first, everything else second.

I am by no means telling you who to vote for. But as someone who writes words for a living, we must examine the weight to these words. The buzzy terms and puzzle pieces designed to click and clack for the betterment of our everyday lives.

Behind each buzz word, there must be a call to action. A plan in place. A next step forward to turn these jumbled letters and numbers into a human existence, a very real life, a very whole purpose.

Because behind these wants and needs that politicians claim to fight for, are the many lives impacted by the voices of very few. And while these buzzwords have a place along the campaign trail, they do absolutely nothing if there is no passion behind them.

So while we wade the waters of this coming federal election, pay attention to buzz words, to the tricks of the trades, and ask our representatives how they intend to turn their simple surface words into very real actions with purpose, with depth, with meaning.

Because that’s the only way we will move forward.