Stronach jumps into Conservative leadership race

Last Updated Tue, 20 Jan 2004 21:13:33

AURORA, ONT. - Belinda Stronach ended weeks of speculation Tuesday by
announcing that she will run for the leadership of the new Conservative
Party of Canada.

Stronach, who had resigned as president and CEO of auto-parts maker Magna
International earlier in the day, spoke in a calm, measured tone with the
help of a TelePrompTer. She reeled off a list of values she would use to
govern. They included "honesty, compassion, fairness, respect and
integrity." Acknowledging that some would call these "motherhood
issues," the 37-year-old divorced mother of two said: "Who better
than a mother to ensure these values are always reflected in the actions of
government?"

Stronach will be running against former Canadian Alliance leader Stephen
Harper and former Ontario health minister Tony Clement. The convention is
scheduled for March 19-20. The multimillionaire businesswoman made her
decision official at the Royal Canadian Legion in her hometown of Aurora,
Ont. She was flanked by supporters and backed by a banner displaying the
address of her website, www.belinda.ca.

She stressed that she was the daughter of immigrants, and knows the value
of hard work and listening. But her main card was that as the CEO of Magna
International, a 72,000-employee global giant based in Aurora, she knows
how to be a leader and create the conditions for success. "I am not a
professional politician, but I have met a payroll," she said. "I
understand what it takes to compete on a global basis. When I travel the
world, I worry about Canada's future prosperity and Canada's place in the
world; I see the entrepreneurial spirit that exists elsewhere in the
world..  We need to make sure that Canada can compete."

If elected leader of the new united-right party and eventually prime
minister, Stronach said she would support:

- Cutting taxes while preserving social programs such as health care by
"baking a bigger economic pie."
- Modernizing government and cutting the cost of delivering services.
- Rebuilding Canada's relationship with the U.S. by, among other things,
becoming part of the integrated North American security perimeter.
- Scrapping the tax on capital and making mortgages partially tax-deductible.
- Rebuilding the military, giving the forces the money and equipment they
need to do the job more safely.
- Encouraging young people to consider jobs as skilled labourers.
- Allowing same-sex couples to marry.
- Beefing up penalties for crimes committed with guns while scrapping the
long-gun registry.
- Maintaining criminal bans on the use of marijuana.

Speaking of her support for the unite-the-right movement from the start,
she said: "Our goal is not just to present an alternative to the
Liberals. We plan to defeat them." At two points in her speech, she
read in laboured French, saying, "Je vais couter et apprendre,"
and stressing that Quebec is a vibrant and a necessary part of Canada.

On her road to the leadership, Stronach said she would seek the
Conservative party nomination for the riding of Newmarket-Aurora. Many in
the crowd were impressed with what they saw. Betty Price said she came
undecided, but left a believer. "She's got everything. She made me
proud to be a Canadian."

She has also snapped up a lot of high-powered conservative organizers, such
as kingmaker John Laschinger and party worker Kevin Gallagher.
"Belinda brings a fresh face and a clean start," said Gallagher.
"There's something special going on here."

Meeting reporters earlier during a school visit in Toronto, Prime Minister
Paul Martin welcomed Stronach's entry into the Conservative campaign.
"I think that Ms. Stronach brings a very different experience to the
race than the other candidates," he said. "I think that she's got
great intelligence and I'm sure she'll do very well." Martin is
expected to call a general election this spring, throwing the new boss of
the Conservatives into the hubbub of a federal campaign just weeks or
months after the leadership convention.

Harper couldn't resist taking a shot against his new opponent's
self-description as a down-to-earth mother with immigrant roots. "I'm
a much different candidate than Belinda Stronach or Paul Martin," he
said. "I can't write a cheque for my own campaign."

Clement focused on Stronach's total lack of political experience. "We
need someone who can unite the party, certainly in time for the next
election, and they're also looking for someone who can with credibility
take on Paul Martin and go toe to toe with him."

Meanwhile, Stronach's father Frank took back the reins at Magna on an
interim basis while the company searches for a new president to replace the
Conservative leadership candidate. Ms. Stronach also resigned as a director
of the company and as a director and the chairman of Decoma International
Inc., Intier Automotive Inc. and Tesma International Inc.


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