Belinda Stronach

Political positions

Before crossing the floor of the House of Commons, Stronach represented the progressive conservative face of the Conservative Party. Along with Peter MacKay, she was seen as giving the Conservatives a more youthful, vibrant, progressive image.

Related Topics:
House of Commons - Progressive conservative

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On social issues, Stronach was generally to the left of her Conservative caucus colleagues. She supports abortion rights, gun control and same-sex marriage. During her leadership campaign, she called for a free vote in parliament, with votes cast individually and not along party lines, on same-sex marriage. She has been speaking and voting in favour of same-sex marriage as the issue comes to the House of Commons in 2005. Social conservative elements in Canada have been critical of Stronach, calling her a "Red Tory". During Stronach's leadership campaign, REAL Women of Canada said: "If Ms. Stronach is elected as leader of the Conservative Party, social conservatives will no longer have a voice in Canada." http://www.realwomenca.com/alerts.htm Stronach, for her part, promised after the leadership race that she would do her best to keep the party from moving too far to the right. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/03/20/conserv_040320?GXHC_GX_jst=90c78ae4662d6164&GXHC_gx_session_id_=7c33008d8d7b5484& She cited discomfort with Stephen Harper's social policies as one of her reasons for crossing the floor.

Related Topics:
Left - Abortion - Gun control - Same-sex marriage - Free vote - 2005 - Social conservative - Red Tory - REAL Women of Canada - Right - Stephen Harper

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stronach supports trade with the United States but would like to re-examine and review parts of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to ensure, in her view, that Canadians can stand on a more equal footing with U.S. competitors. During her leadership campaign she said the country needed to consider changes to the Medicare system that would respect the principles of the Canada Health Act "as our standard, not our straitjacket". http://www.canadanewswire.com/en/releases/archive/February2004/20/c2545.html?view=print

Related Topics:
North American Free Trade Agreement - Medicare - Canada Health Act

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a CEO, Stronach was more conciliatory to organized labour than her father, who was noted for his strong opposition to unions at Magna. While head of Magna, she ceased fighting the United Auto Workers in a dispute before the National Labor Relations Board, and the union organized numerous Magna workers in the United States.

Related Topics:
Organized labour - United Auto Workers - National Labor Relations Board

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Parliament, Stronach has been a prominent supporter of a push by MPs, across party lines, to lower the voting age in Canadian federal elections to 16.

Related Topics:
Voting age - Canadian federal elections

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~