Being asked to cover the Ottawa-South provincial by-election for Muslim Link was a wakeup call and reality check for me as a Lebanese Muslim Canadian. Because I live in the riding, I had to think about how provincial politics affect my life and the lives of my friends and family.

But what I often hear when the topic comes up is: “I hate politics!” or “ Please let's not talk about politics”.

Automatically, the door is shut upon this topic and the conversation shifts to what seems more important ”“ the latest goings on Facebook.