Peter Mansbridge on the federal election and his new CBC documentary

Each week, Cross Country Checkup devotes the last half hour to an interview with a high-profile newsmaker, celebrity, thinker or cultural figure who takes calls from listeners.  

Peter Mansbridge may no longer be chief correspondent and anchor of CBC News's The National, but he still won't reveal who he's voting for.

"I'm leaning in the direction of making an informed decision," he told one Cross Country Checkup caller during the program's recurring Ask Me Anything segment.

Mansbridge has covered every federal election since 1972, but October's vote will be his first since retiring from the CBC.

Still, the veteran journalist won't be far from TV screens ahead of the election.

His latest documentary, The Way You See It: A Peter Mansbridge Special, will tap into Canadians' innermost thoughts and feelings about the upcoming election.

"I just basically camped out at everything from a rodeo to a stock car race to a farmer's market, you name it. Sat there, people came and sat down with me, [and] I said, 'OK, what's on your mind?'" he told Cross Country Checkup host Duncan McCue.

Mansbridge says going out on the road and speaking to Canadians has allowed him to see a different side of this year's campaign.

"I really had people talking to me about what their concerns were and those concerns, in a lot of cases — not all, but in a lot of cases — were not focused on themselves; they were focused on their kids," he said.

Whether it was climate change, health care, post-secondary education, debt or even immigration, "they all related to the kind of country we're going to leave for our kids," Mansbridge said. 

"I found that different from the past where the focus was always, 'What are [the party leaders] going to do for me?'"

The Way You See It: A Peter Mansbridge Special airs Oct. 18 on CBC TV.

To hear the full Ask Me Anything segment with Peter Mansbridge, download our podcast or click Listen above.