Canadians heading to the polls on October 14 do not really have much of a choice, because there is not one leader who really stands out – except, perhaps, NDP leader Jack Layton, who has displayed real pizzazz in this campaign and the ability to connect with real Canadians and their main concerns, unparalleled by any of the other leaders, for which he may yet be rewarded with the job as leader of the Official Opposition . Still, of the mediocre-to-outright-poor choices for the top job in the country available, one emerges as the clear and reasonable choice on election day: Stephen Harper.

The minority prime minister of two and a half years has not exactly wowed Canadians with visionary ideas, but he has provided steady leadership. Were mistakes made? Of course, they were. Government by definition is highly imperfect, and there is no government that has not botched things at some point during its term.

The British newspaper The Economist has endorsed Stephen Harper, just as it did prior to the last election in early 2006. That by itself speaks volumes, because, as the saying goes in Canada, the British publication is more influential than any of the Canadian media. When The Economist favours one leader over another, it is the former that invariably wins. Last time, the Brits dished up a double whammy: not only did one of the oldest magazines in the world endorse Mr. Harper, but it also trashed the then-prime minister Paul Martin by calling him “Mr. Dithers”. In the current campaign, The Economist has described Liberal leader Stéphane Dion as “wimpish” and now come out with its support for Mr. Harper – another double whammy.

Despite the relatively meagre roster of politicians in this election, Mr. Harper looks like a beacon shining at least a bit of light into the gloomy darkness that enshrouds opposition leaders, particularly Mr. Dion. On so many levels, the Liberals lost the election on December 2, 2006, when they elected Mr. Dion party leader. He may be a thinker, but a politician or prime minister he is not. This has been most prominently demonstrated by his recent Chicken Little impression while talking down Canada’s relatively sound economy.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed in its most recent report that the Canadian economy is strong and sound and that it will outperform all other G7 countries in 2009. Mr. Dion has been doing a great disservice to Canadians by trying to reduce the country’s economy to rubble. When investors and consumers hear about how the sky is not only falling, but has, in fact, already crash-landed on everyone’s head, when it has not done so at all, even the strongest economy can be driven into a recession in no time at all.

This is why Mr. Harper deserves Canadians’ gratitude for holding firm and steady in the face of such fearmongering from the Liberal opposition. It is true, though, that Mr. Harper has been somewhat insensitive in his comments of late, but then again, he is not exactly a great communicator and a bit on the socially awkward side. Does this personal foible make him any less of a prime minister? Quite the opposite is true, because when one keeps in mind the financial tsunami that has set itself in motion in the U.S. and will sooner or later inundate the entire planet, it is quite obvious that Canada needs a Vulcan-style leader, like Star Trek’s Mr. Spock, who can steer the Canadian ship free of any emotions. This may sound cold, but this is exactly the right prescription for Canada at this point in time.

A majority government may not be on the cards for Mr. Harper, but a stronger minority is a distinct and almost assured possibility. What is more, with an emboldened NDP as the Official Opposition, the federal government in Ottawa might actually accomplish more on the issues that matter to real Canadians than at any time in the last forty or fifty years or so.