Belinda Stronach’s switch to the Liberal Party enraged conservatives and allowed Paul Martin’s government to survive a no-confidence vote.

The events of this week ought to dispel any myth that Canadian politics are dull.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my observations about the current state of Canadian politics while I was visiting Toronto. The Liberal minority government of Paul Martin has been hanging on by the enamel of its teeth due to the sponsorship scandal, and the Conservative party led by Stephen Harper declared its intention to defeat the government on its budget and thereby force an election. In the article, I mention that one of Harper’s rivals for the Conservative Party leadership, Belinda Stronach, had come out against bringing down the government. Stronach, the former President of Magna International — an auto parts manufacturer founded by her father Frank, ostensibly opposed this move because she did not want to see the Conservatives beholden themselves to the separatist Bloc Quebecois.

However, this past Tuesday, her true colors were revealed as she swapped blue for red. Stronach crossed the floor and joined the Liberal Party caucus. Prime Minister Martin appointed Stronach as Minister of Human Resources Development. Stronach’s addition to the Liberal caucus was enough for the government to survive a vote of non-confidence on its budget this past Thursday. The vote was actually tied and the tie was broken in favor of the Liberals by the Speaker of the House, Peter Milliken, a Liberal. It is ironic that Stronach would play a key role in saving both Martin’s budget and his government, when she remarked while running for the Conservative Party leadership last year, “If I ran my company the way Paul Martin ran the finances of this country, I would have been fired.” But Stronach, playing the part of Donald Trump, has effectively told Martin and the Liberals, “You’re hired.”

Needless to say, the Conservatives have been less than amused with the defection of the Member of Parliament from Newmarket, just north of Toronto. When Stronach criticized Harper for not being sensitive to Canada’s complexity, Harper replied tersely, “I’ve never really noticed complexity to be Belinda’s strong point.” Yet the reaction of some Conservatives may do them more harm than good in the long run. Bob Runciman, a former cabinet minister in the Ontario Conservative government of Mike Harris, called Stronach a “dipstick…an attractive one, but still a dipstick.” Tony Abbott, a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, remarked that Stronach had “whored herself out for power.” Maurice Vellacott, a Conservative Member of Parliament from Saskatoon, echoed Abbott’s sentiment, “Some people prostitute themselves for different costs or different prices. She sold out for a cabinet position.” Conservatives cannot afford to make remarks about Stronach’s gender if they wish to govern Canada.

Complicating matters was Stronach’s relationship with Peter MacKay, a Conservative Member of Parliament from Nova Scotia who was once leader of Canada’s Progressive Conservative Party (that merged with Harper’s Canadian Alliance to become the Conservative Party). In January, MacKay revealed that he and Stronach were dating. A subdued MacKay was completely caught by surprise by Stronach’s switch. He said that he had dinner with Stronach the night before she made her announcement and that, “I didn’t see this coming.” When asked if he felt betrayed, he replied, “It’s more than that…But I want to leave the personal stuff aside. It’s separate and I wish her and her kids, who I have a lot of affection for, and her family happiness. I’ll get back to business.”

In the short term, this buys the Liberal government some time. It is unlikely that a no confidence vote would take place again before the fall. But in the long term, this could have implications for years to come. Given Stronach’s meteoric rise, she has automatically become a possible successor as Liberal Party leader whenever Martin should decide to leave or be compelled to leave that position. MacKay also remains a viable contender to succeed Harper as Conservative Party leader should he decide to leave that post or be compelled to do so. Stronach vs. MacKay. Could you imagine a leadership debate between two former lovers? You couldn’t write a better Hollywood script. (Although some have tried. The movies He Said, She Said (1991) with Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Perkins and Speechless (1994) with Michael Keaton and Geena Davis come to mind, as does the TV movie Opposites Attract (1990) with John Forsythe and Barbara Eden. However, the plot line would be reversed — political allies turned lovers turned political rivals.)

If this tale weren’t complicated enough. Enter stage left: Bill Clinton.

Bill Clinton?

Stronach has been seen in public with the former U.S. President on a number of occasions, beginning in 2001 when they met during a round of golf. Carole MacNeil, a journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), queried Stronach about her relationship with Clinton when she ran for the Conservative Party leadership last year. Stronach replied, “Bill Clinton is somebody I know, is someone I’ve had the opportunity to meet through a number of circumstances, is someone that I would welcome the advice on if I had the opportunity to take it, but that’s it. That’s it.” When MacNeil asked her if Clinton gave her advice, she replied that “we don’t consult each other on a regular basis.” The last time Stronach and Clinton were seen together was in a New York restaurant last month along with actor Jack Nicholson and Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

It is difficult to know what if any factor Clinton will play in Stronach’s career, and perhaps in Canadian politics, given that Hillary Clinton will likely run for the White House in 2008. Though one cannot help but wonder if “O Canada” has taken on an entirely new meaning for Clinton.

If nothing else, Stronach may become the best known Canadian politician in the world since Pierre Trudeau, who in his heyday dated Barbra Streisand and met with John Lennon. However this tale plays itself out, no one can say that Canadian politics are dull.