Even The ‘Belinda Factor’ Can’t Mask Liberal Corruption

May 18, 2005

Newspaper deadlines being as they are, I’m writing this column before the long-awaited confidence vote that could bring down the federal Liberals has taken place. Yet the other well-publicized news item of the week has already occurred … Belinda Stronach’s inability to pass up Paul Martin’s offer of a powerful cabinet position.

Ms. Stronach’s defection to the Liberals does nothing to change the stark fact that this government is corrupt and must be booted from power before it totally destroys the social fabric and economic stability of the nation.

Rod Love, chief of staff to Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, and someone who was deeply involved in forging this stronger, united Conservative Party, along with Stephen Harper, Peter MacKay and Belinda Stronach, said it best: “A lot of us went out on a limb for her because she represented something new and we have now found out she represents the worst of the old.”

Ms. Stronach says she couldn’t bring herself to vote against the budget because it meant aligning with the Bloc Quebecois, thereby promoting separatism. Yes, separatism is experiencing an unfortunate resurgence, but that’s due to backlash to the Liberals’ attempt to excuse their self-serving corruption by claiming they needed to buy Quebecers’ loyalty to Canada with their own tax dollars. If you were a Quebecer, how loyal would you feel towards the Canadian government?

As for the budget itself, Ms. Stronach was one its most vocal opponents, calling it last week, “flawed”, “defective” and “focused on spending taxpayer money with very little attention to enhance economic growth, increase competitiveness and create national wealth necessary to sustain the spending.” This week, she sits in cabinet in return for supporting that same budget.

The most significant discomfort Ms. Stronach’s had indicated prior to this week has been about our party’s opposition to same-sex marriage as proposed in Bill C-38. Yet this was a policy thoroughly debated and endorsed democratically by grassroots delegates at our policy convention in March.

As CBC National Anchor Peter Mansbridge pointed out in his interview with Ms. Stronach, she could have simply voted to support the budget, thereby keeping the government alive, without snapping up the chance at a minister’s post.

By so rapidly changing her ‘convictions’ 180-degress in a matter of a few days, Ms. Stronach has unfortunately spurred Paul Martin to maintain his unabashed willingness to buy votes both throughout the country and inside the House of Commons with money, lucrative patronage appointments and cabinet positions.

Even if Ms. Stronach’s political flip flop allows the Liberal government to survive the week, it lost its authority to govern long ago. Though her actions have disappointed many of us, the very way in which Ms. Stronach conducted herself this week ensures she will not ultimately damage the Conservative Party’s prospects of forming the next government.

If anything, Ms. Stronach has confirmed that Paul Martin and the Liberal Party of Canada are destroying the integrity of government and Parliament, and further eroding democracy in our country. For it is her actions that clearly demonstrate Liberals will do anything for power.

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