Non sexist/meathead Belinda Stronach observance

[Hux]

A friend of mine sent this around this morning.

On May 11th 2005, a week before Belinda had crossed the Floor, she had shown up at Darcy McGees. I spoke with her that evening (while she was still a Conservative) "I really admire you. You could be doing anything you want and you chose running for public office and though, we may not share the same views being from different parties, I applaud you for being a role model for all women." She had thanked me and asked me my name and what I did etc. etc.

On May 19th 2005, I saw her again at the party following the confidence vote... Not only did she recall meeting me but she remembered my name...

This is no small task for a politician, as most of you can appreciate, and an even bigger one when you are someone like Belinda Stronach, having met thousands of people in the last couple days... What all of you don't know is... I had just finished a series chemotherapy

treatments- the night at Darcy's, I was wearing my blonde wig - the night after the confidence vote, I had gone there bald.

Later, when she was thinking of running for the Leadership, as my former boss was running her potential campaign, he asked me to travel with her to Halifax. I felt very torn back then, as she was not the only candidate I considered supporting and I felt pressured... So, I decided to go with her to Halifax but had told them I'd decide after the weekend. As soon as I entered the building with her, other Leadership teams simply assumed that I had joined her team. As a woman, I also know that we are each others worst enemies... To make a longer story short - It was time for me to do MY part and support a woman candidate.

So, I grabbed her Campaign Director and said flat out - "I'm in, but under no circumstance am I accepting a penny. All I want is my expenses paid, that's it, that's all. I'm not going to be told that I'm supporting her because of her money."

During that month of travel with her, I got to know her. Only two adjectives describe her best - extraordinary and exceptional. Let me assure you, Belinda never became CEO of Magna because she was Daddy's girl. She is extremely intelligent and is able to analyse a situation in ways I've not seen any other politician come close. She's ambitious in any role and wants to see results... not tomorrow, today. She is genuine and she is a wonderful and generous person. Belinda thanked me more in one day than some of my former bosses thanked me in over 2 years.

The Liberal Party has lost a part of their soul today. We were privileged having her as a immediate member of our family and very few have her poise, her person recognition or her international influence.

She is a class act and I am grateful for everything she has done for me professionally and personally with my latest battle with cancer.

So, today, I ask that everyone, whether you're a Liberal, a Conservative, an NDP, a Bloc, a journalist, a columnist, a woman, a male, an average Canadian - go to spreadthenet.org and spread the net in honour of Belinda's contribution to public life.