By Jon Roe
Belinda Stronach is making headlines again, this time for a relationship with ex-Toronto Maple Leaf Tie Domi. According to files from divorce proceedings, Leanne Domi blames Tie’s “intimate sexual relationship” with Stronach for the break-up of their marriage.
This is highly unsurprising if you’ve been following Stronach’s career. Despite dropping out of York University in 1986, she found herself with a high-ranking position in Magna International, a company not-coincidentally owned by her father, Frank Stronach.
She first made national headlines when she announced her candidacy for the Conservatives in 2003. She refused to attend several televised debates and looked sophomoric in most of her campaign, causing critics to dismiss her as nothing more than a manufactured candidate. Stories tended to focus more on her appearance and personal life than her political credentials.
After losing the Conservative race to eventual Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the next story that came to light was of her relationship with fellow party member Peter MacKay, which went sour when she jumped ship to the Liberals in 2005.
Though she tends to be one of the most recognizable faces on the political scene, she has yet to do anything politically of note beyond her party switch–which unnecessarily dragged out a poorly run Liberal government. The media is partially to blame for inflating her personal life and ignoring her political movements, but if she wanted to be taken seriously, she would quit providing fodder for the journalistic hounds.
It’s hard to take Stronach as a serious candidate anyway. She has no political credentials or experience to back-up the amount of weight she pulls. She is truly a testimony to how far connections help in the political world.
Overall, Stronach is doing nothing to help move the feminist political cause forward. If young girls are looking for a strong political woman to admire, they should look elsewhere.
Jon Roe