Why Belinda Crossed
Well, this is exactly why you have got to love politics. Just when you think you could plot the next year and half of Canada’s political timeline, something happens that comes straight from left field. Today, I definitely did not see this coming.
Belinda Stronach, a one time candidate for the Conservative party leadership, crossed the floor today and will sit in the PM’s cabinet as the minister of human resources and skills development. This is a significant development, as not only will this possibly save the Liberal government, it could also undermine what has been long term conservative growth in Canada.
So, obviously, there are blogs and comments abound concerning Belinda’s motivation in crossing over… and I’ll be no different. Speculation can usually be grouped according to affiliation. However, to me, it is clear that Stronach is attracted to power, and this is the impetus behind Belinda’s move. I consider it quite telling that her first foray into politics was a run for the conservative party’s leadership. Failing that, she quickly moved into an MP position on the momentum of her “fresh face” appeal and the massive exposure she bought. Her attachment to Peter Mackay, while not a strategical move, does betray her attraction to power (not taking anything away from the dashing Peter Mackay, of course). And finally, her rhetoric does not match her actions today. In the past she has been highly critical of this government’s credibility and political agenda. She even criticized Paul Martin and his role in the Liberal scandal.(see here for a good post) . This interview further demonstrates Stronach’s divergence between talk and walk. Either she is of two minds, or, and more likely, she is taking advantage of current political turmoil. Belinda uses current situations to further her own goals, and the recent noisome gaming on the hill was fertile soil for this defection. Harper, however predictably, called her move ambitious and nothing in her actions has proved otherwise. You are the choices you make, so forget what the PM, overly enraged conservatives and Belinda herself say today. Belinda has made a play for power; a play that is certainly fraught with risk. In any case, power hunger has been quite becoming as of late, and she should find no problems in that regard.
