The Belinda Factor

The Belinda Factor:

Summary: Does Belinda really have what it takes to be the leader of the Liberal party?

Belinda Stronach, to no-one’s surprise, is thinking about making a run for the Liberal leadership. Unless Michael Ignatieff is struck with a horrifying bout of diphtheria, Bob Rae vanishes in a mysterious skydiving accident, and Scott Brison is consumed by a pack of fierce wolves, she most certainly will not win. In my mind, the Liberal party would have to get pretty desperate for a leader, or very pessimistic about its future chances, to choose Belinda to lead it into the next election.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe it is high time Canada proved itself a civilized, progressive nation by ELECTING a woman as Prime Minister (Kim Campbell’s summer job as PM hardly counts). But is Belinda really the best we can do?

First of all, Belinda speaks French like an 8th grade late immersion student (late immersion often begins at grade 6 or 7), and I think we all agree that, this day in age, bilingualism is a necessary part of the job description. Recently a reporter asked her in French if she was going to run for the leadership. Belinda asked for the question to be repeated. Do you get my drift?

Secondly, Belinda has hardly proven herself in political life. In fact, she’s brought nothing but bad luck for the Liberal party. Her first act was to bring about the gay marriage between the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives. The child of that gay marriage was a united opposition determined to end Liberal hegemony. Belinda then switched to the Liberal Party, became a cabinet minister, and the party lost for the first time in 13 years.

Even as a parliamentarian and a cabinet minister, Belinda has impressed few. She’s spent less time speaking in the house of commons than most back benchers, and she’s yet to convince anyone that she has a firm grasp of the many different issues facing the future of our country. During her failed attempt to lead the united Conservatives, Belinda spoke often about “new ideas” and “fresh leadership,” but she never really got around to discussing what either of those would entail.

Finally, the other reason why I feel she needs to prove herself as a parliamentarian has to do with the fact that many doubt her career in the private sector has come about due to her natural talent. Sure, Magda Autoparts is very successful, but so long as people remember it was her father’s company to begin with, few are willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Therefore, if Belinda wants to be taken seriously she’ll have to prove that she is good at SOMETHING that the rest of us can observe and say, “you know, she’s right, she is good at that!” Maybe she’s a good Soccer player; maybe she’s a world renowned Urdu poet; or maybe she makes a mean lasagna, for the love of all that is true and sacred tell me you’re accomplished at SOMETHING and make me believe it!

Maybe I’m cynical, but I can’t help but think that Belinda’s failure to buy success in Canadian politics proves that in our democracy substance still prevails over style. With her millions of dollars and important connections, Belinda has been able to hire well informed advisors and coaches, all with the goal of turning her into a sincere and plausible leader. So far their efforts have yet to produce results, and unless Belinda manages to turn things around quickly, I hardly think she’ll succeed as the leader of any party.