Belinda's Betrayal

There you have it. Belinda Stronach sells her soul for a cabinet seat. She is now a member of the very same government that she has been badmouthing for the last year and a half. And what a spectacular exit she made! Not even her boyfriend, Peter MacKay, the deputy leader of the Conservative Party, had any idea this was coming. (A bedraggled MacKay finally appeared before the media today. In response to a question about why he sounded like he was sick, he replied "I haven't slept in two days.")

There are many who wonder how such a huge secret could have been kept hidden so well, right up until the moment the news was broken by a smug-looking Prime Minister. The answer is obvious. No one knew because the decision was made on a whim. Belinda only had to keep the secret to herself over the weekend. Before that, there was nothing for her to tell.

On the bright side, at least Paul Martin got laughed at by a roomful of reporters. When he suggested that the defection had little to do with Thursday's confidence vote, the audience couldn't (and didn't try to) contain themselves.

Thursday's crucial vote now weighs down on the shoulders of a single man - Chuck Cadman. The Liberals and the NDP together account for 151 votes. Add one to the tally for Independent Carolyn Parrish. The Conservatives and the Bloc have 152 votes. Add one to the tally for Independent David Kilgour, who is officially undecided, but has loudly expressed his displeasure with the government's stance on Darfur. If Chuck Cadman votes Liberal, the result would be a tie, and the tie-breaking vote goes to the Liberal Speaker of the House.

My guess is that this is the scenerio that we will see tomorrow. If this turns out to be the case, the Liberals will probably live on through the summer, and Belinda might even be able to keep her cabinet position for a while - maybe even a year. It'll be just like her year-long stints as a university student, a CEO (or highly paid spokeswoman) in her father's company, and as a Conservative MP. Then it will be off to pastures new...