gohabsgo said:
This blond bombshell dropped a bombshell on Ottawa today.
Was it personal ambition ( as Harper says) or a real concern for the future of Canada (as Belinda says) ? that motivated the billionaire heiress' decision ?
I think it was a little bit of both. Two weeks ago, Ms. Stronach, who is also a close friend of Bill Clinton's, spoke out against her party's plans to topple the government. She thought the timing was all wrong, and i must admit that i agreed with her and she went up a notch in my book when she spoke out against her own party's intentions. Canadians don't want another election so soon from the last one (end of last June). They don't want their taxpayers' money to pay for an election which will cost millions of $$. The end result of an election probably would have been a minority government in favor of the PC (Progressive Conservatives), and you probably would have seen another election called less than a year later.
What i think Ms. Stronach didn't particularly like was her former party's hard-lined politics. She was more of a moderate. Sure, getting offered a minister's portfolio was tempting and she did accept the offer (who wouldn't?), but what sealed the deal was a secret meeting between her and the Prime Minister (Paul Martin) set up by the former Premier of Ontario, David Peterson, a Liberal and friend of both of them. Ms. Stronach and Martin realized during the face-to-face that their politics were very similar, and the fact she accepted to cross over probably will prevent the present government from getting a non-confidence vote and thus will prevent another federal election. The big vote will be held this Thursday evening, and with Stronach now on their side, the Liberals might keep control by possibly one vote or two.
Let's face it: the PC don't help their cause by aligning themselves with the Bloc Quebecois, a separatist party whose goal in politics is to practically destroy Canada and get Quebec to separate from it. They are an official party strictly to look after Quebec's affairs, and do everything in their power to cause chaos for the Canadian Government. The fact Stephen Harper's PC decided to align themselves with the Devil (from a pro-Canadian perspective) didn't sit well with the more moderate Conservatives. There is a chance that more defections will occur now that Ms. Stronach has possibly opened the floodgates. What is interesting is the fact Ms. Stronach's boyfriend is Peter Mackay, the number two guy in the PC party, who supposedly was caught totally by surprise today when Ms. Stronach switched sides. They are rumoured to be talking a break from their relationship after today's announcement.
Personally, i think today's shocker is good for Canada, and bad for Quebec's separatist movement. However, there are still 2 days left before the big budget vote, which might decide the future of Canada.