A Conservative lawmaker dropped a political bombshell on Tuesday by defecting to the Liberal Party and possibly saving Prime Minister Paul Martin's scandal-ridden minority government.
Belinda Stronach, who lost a bid as leader of the Conservative Party last year, was immediately appointed to Martin's Cabinet as the new minister of human resources. It was a stunning promotion for the Ontario millionaire, who became a member of parliament last year.
By crossing over to the other side of the House of Commons, Martin's minority government will have a much better chance of winning a confidence vote, scheduled for today.
"I cannot exaggerate how hard this was for me," Stronach told a news conference. "The political crisis affecting Canada is too risky and dangerous for blind partisanship. I watch and listen and feel that the interests of individuals or parties are being placed above the national interest. The country must come first."
The House of Commons has been paralyzed for weeks by shouting matches and motions by the Conservative to obstruct business by daily calls for Martin's minority government to resign. The Conservatives have joined with the French-separatist Bloc Quebecois, seizing on a growing corruption scandal within Martin's Liberal Party and demanding a no-confidence vote.
Martin announced last week he would put forward his federal budget today and consider its passage or failure a vote of confidence in his government. If his budget does not pass, he said he would dissolve parliament and elections would be triggered for next month.
Until Tuesday, it was widely believed the Liberals would lose the vote. Stronach's defection now gives the Liberals a badly needed boost.
"Everybody has got to be shocked; it's an amazing turn of events," said Richard Simeon, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. "It's got to shift the odds hugely in favor of the government."
The Liberals and their allies now appear to have 153 seats in the 308-member House of Commons who will vote in favor of the budget. The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois appear to have 152. There is one vacancy and two remaining independents, whose votes are now crucial.
Martin sat next to Stronach at a belligerent news conference in Ottawa, the federal capital. Reporters peppered her with questions about how she could have been so critical of the Liberals and then join their ranks.
"On Thursday, members of Parliament will stand and will be counted in the most-watched vote of the last 25 years and Belinda Stronach has chosen to stand for what she believes is best for Canada," Martin said.
"She thinks it will be wrong for the country if the Conservative Party combines with the Bloc [Quebecois] to kill the budget and force an early election -- and she is doing something about it and that is gutsy."
Stronach, 39, has become something of a tabloid star on staid Parliament Hill. She left as chief executive of her father's billion-dollar auto parts company to run for office last year. She keeps company with big names, such as former US president Bill Clinton, and the Canadian media routinely report on her expensive clothes and speculate on her romantic attachments.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said Stronach's move left the party feeling "devastated and quite betrayed," and he conceded that his chances of toppling the government today now appear greatly diminished.
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