By James Cudmore, CBC News

Question from Preston Manning, former and founding leader of the Reform Party of Canada, architect of the political merger that led to the short-lived Canadian Alliance, Member of the Order of Canada, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's old boss, to a reporter randomly seated next to him in an airport bar: "So, you think there's going to be an election?"

Manning was killing time on his way to Edmonton from Ottawa.

He'd had a snack in the post security bar in the Ottawa airport, and just before he got up to leave, he and I had a chat.

He agreed there will almost certainly be an election, soon. But said he's worried about what impact yet another election (the fourth in five years) might have on Canadian democracy.

"I've talked to a lot of people who say they don't want an election," he said. "And not just Conservatives. Everybody. Barbers, bartenders and taxi drivers. They're telling me, 'If we have an election this fall, I'm just not showing up.'"

"A pox on all their houses," is what these Canadians are thinking, he said.

Manning is worried voter turnout in a possible fall vote could be lower than it's been decades Down to less than 50 per cent.

"Who will that benefit?" I asked.

"It's hard to say," said Manning.

Low voter turnout usually does favour one party over another, typically the one in opposition. But in this case, Manning said that might not be the case.

"There are people in all parties studying that like mad, right now," he said.

Manning looked at his watch, collected his credit card from a waiter and made to leave. I had one shot at a critical question:

"If an election were held tomorrow, who would you vote for Mr Manning?"

"Ignatieff," he said, and walked away.

Actually, I made that last bit up. I didn't ask. But I did ask what he was doing these days, and it's kind of neat.

Manning is working on setting up a graduate school of political management at Carleton University. The program would be similar to an executive MBA, but designed for high ranking political staff, like ministerial chiefs of staff, who often have little experience dealing with senior civil servants, and complicated government structures.