A bombshell named Belinda

You know I'm still trying to decide if Belinda Stronach's departure from the Conservative Party is a bad or a good thing for Stephen Harper. In the short term it will most likely secure the government of Paul Martin, as Ms. Stronach's all important budget vote will go a long way in making sure the budget passes on Thursday.

In fact, with Stephen Harper's decision that his party will now support the budget, but vote separately against the orgy of spending at the behest of the NDP on that same budget, the Stronach move may have been blunted and maybe even countered. With that decision even Harper is admitting that the time may not be right to bring down the government.

However, the conversion of Belinda from fiscal conservative to free spending Liberal should be something to watch. Having given her the huge Human Resources portfolio with its potential for boondoggle largesse, Martin may find that his gambit to save his gov't today comes back to haunt him later on. The promotion from opposition member to cabinet minister gives off every odour of opportunism, despite the protestations otherwise. It will be just another item to add to the list of Liberal goodies to remain in power.

When the news first broke that Stronach had jumped to the Liberals I originally thought that it was a master stroke by Martin to go around Harper and secure his government for the foreseeable future. But with the benefit of time I now wonder if the electorate will look at that as a legitimate change of political orientation, or just another cynical manipulation of the system for the benefit of the governing party and the buffing of a young lady and her ego.

Various polls show that at the moment Canadians are not eager for an election, so perhaps the Stronach solution will prove to be a wise political machination worthy of other Liberal leaders such as McKenzie-King and Trudeau. Or perhaps it will just add more fuel to the fire of a party that seems determined to hang on to it's position at whatever cost need be paid off.

It was for now, a good day for Paul Martin and a bad day for Stephen Harper. But considering the timbre of the Parliament and of the nation these days it may only be a short lived good feeling. Canadians are traditionally suspicious of those that change their stripes, in this case with a great reward for doing so. Cynicsim is never far from the surface in Canada these days, after today it may not be thinly disguised anymore and instead may be in the open and festering.

Stephen Harper has quite a bit of work to do, not only on his own personal image but on that of his party. However, if an election comes down to ethics and credibility, the events of today may in the long run work in Harper's favour.

Perhaps all of her reasons for jumping ship were up front and legitimate, maybe she truly is fearful for her nation and unsure of the Conservatives under Harper. But perception is everything in politics and the perception today is that Ms. Stronach received a nice little reward, for delivering one single vote on a Thursday afternoon.

Canadians will one day get the chance to cast their votes once again, maybe not soon but eventually later. The accumulated baggage of the Liberals attempts to hold power at all costs may come back to haunt them, we trust that Ms. Stronach will enjoy her stay in the rarefied air of the cabinet room, even though it may be a short stay. Then perhaps I will have a more definitive idea as to whether today was a good or a bad day for Belinda, Paul, Stephen and the country.