Canada - Backdrop or Playground?

The enduring image of this trip, I would venture to predict, will be a shot of Stephen Harper, against a backdrop of stunning beauty, in a part of the world where no former prime minister has ventured to go. Unfair? Well, maybe.  But he took the time, and went to the trouble, to make it happen.

If Den Tandt means all the arctic development Harper's been promising for ages - well, like Senate reform, it hasn't happened yet.

So far as imagery, though, are we impressed by the image of a man standing in an isolated in rugged terrain? Not so much, I'd wager, as we used to.  We know how he got there, after all - on planes the Conservatives used to tell us were symbols of wasted tax-dollars and political entitlement.

And when we see him, it's far away - not up-close, not in-person.  He's always in safe venues with friendly crowds or, if he's posing for photos, it's in remote places like the North or the PMO.

Do we see him as a tough guy, ready to go toe-to-toe with Vladimir Putin?  In some CPC staffer's fantasy, only.  

Not that we want our PM to be playing at Rambo, or relishing guns, or having guns used on other people. We're Canadians, after all - we love our rugged north, not the Wild West.  Our symbol of justice is the Mountie, not the cowboy.

Having said that, there's real appeal in a leader who isn't afraid to mingle with the people and has some skill at enduring the wilds we like to identify with (even if we live in downtown Toronto).  We'd rather an Aragorn than a Denethor, which may have something to do with our being part of the monarchy and all, who knows.

Given the choice between a ruthless leader who seems to live little and considers himself above and removed from both Canadians and Canada itself and one who's not afraid to be in and with the people and country - who would we choose?