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Liberal MP Belinda Stronach, who is battling breast cancer, travelled to California last June for an operation that was recommended as part of her treatment, says a report. Stronach's spokesman, Greg MacEachern, told the Toronto Star that the MP for Newmarket-Aurora had a "later-stage" operation in the U.S. after a Toronto doctor referred her. "Belinda had one of her later-stage operations in California, after referral from her personal physicians in Toronto. Prior to this, Belinda had surgery and treatment in Toronto, and continues to receive follow-up treatment there," said MacEachern. He said speed was not the reason why she went...

Health Care: Those who hold up Canada's nationalized system as a model for the U.S. have another piece of evidence that maybe it's not: Those who are sick and have a choice go to the U.S. for their care. The most recent example of this trend is Belinda Stronach, a Liberal Party member of Canada's Parliament and daughter of Canadian billionaire industrialist Frank Stronach. Stronach, a close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton, came to California last June for a cancer operation. Her spokesman, Greg MacEachern, told the Toronto Star that she made the decision to go to the U.S....

It is hard to believe that only a little more than two weeks have passed since it happened. Will any of us ever forget where we were when we heard the news? How deeply it shook us? Will things ever be the same again? What's that, you ask? The fire the destroyed the one time home of Johnny Cash? No, I'm talking about the announcement that Belinda Stronach will not seek re-election. Alright, so it was hardly an earthshaking disaster and by now it hardly seems worthy of further comment, yet the prospect of Belinda riding to the rescue of...

As potential girlfriends go, Belinda Stronach would rank as a true catch. She is single, youngish (she just turned 40), attractive, wealthy, impeccably well-connected and politically ambitious - glamorous in every respect. Two years ago, Time magazine listed her as one of the 100 most powerful people on the planet. The tabloids cut to the chase: they called her the "blonde bombshell" or "Bubba's blonde." Bubba, of course, is Bill Clinton. He has been photographed with Stronach (right) several times. The sightings seem to be getting more frequent, leading to press speculation that their relationship has moved beyond official "friendship"...

Bill and Belinda’s excellent adventure But Clinton’s new, er, friendship isn’t helping his wife’s presidential aims, writes eric reguly As potential girlfriends go, Belinda Stronach would rank as a true catch. She is single, youngish (she just turned 40), attractive, wealthy, impeccably well-connected and politically ambitious - glamorous in every respect. Two years ago, Time magazine listed her as one of the 100 most powerful people on the planet. The tabloids cut to the chase: they called her the "blonde bombshell" or "Bubba's blonde." Bubba, of course, is Bill Clinton. He has been photographed with Stronach (right) several times. The...

Belinda Stronach has slid while former boyfriend Peter MacKay has soared. Their failures and successes speak to the shifts in political mood.There was a moment in May 2005 when it appeared as though Belinda Stronach had managed, with a little help from her friends, to catapult herself over the entire Canadian political landscape, coming down, to considerable fanfare, among the top decision-makers in government. Without a shred of real political experience, without ever having held a job she was not appointed to by her father, without even a university degree, Stronach had claimed credit for uniting the right, placed second...

Victim stance self-serving Ottawa Sun September, 28, 2006 By SUSAN SHERRING Just what world is Belinda Stronach living in? Or perhaps more importantly, what world does she want to live in? The Tory-turned-Liberal MP believes it's still a man's world. That's her assessment after the member of parliament was named in divorce papers filed by former Toronto Maple Leaf Tie Domi's estranged wife Leanne. In a society that craves salacious gossip, the story of the alleged affair quickly became front page news this week. No surprise there. Domi's wife alleges her husband flaunted the alleged relationship with Stronach, ignoring...

LOOK out, Hillary - Bill is off the leash. The gobsmacking interview with Bill Clinton on "Fox News Sunday" is the first episode of reality television starring a former president of the United States. It's why God invented YouTube. Liberals love it, especially the Fox News Channel-bashing. Conservatives think it proves every insulting theory they've ever devised to encompass this gargantuan American personality. In truth, the whole performance defies reason. It was especially odd to hear Clinton complain that "Bush's neocons" faulted him for being "too obsessed with bin Laden." Really? All I ever heard from Bush's neocons - most...

Sen. Hillary Clinton has spoken up in support of her husband Bill’s defense of his anti-terror efforts, saying she’s tired of Democrats being pushed around on national security issues. "I just think that my husband did a great job in demonstrating that Democrats are not going to take this,” she said on Monday in remarks reported by Newsday. In a heated discussion with Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday,” Bill Clinton said that as president, he did more than many of his conservative critics to pursue al-Qaida, and alleged that President Bush didn’t try to stop terrorism in the eight...

<p>FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON ON NOT CAPTURING BIN LADEN: 'At least I tried. That's the difference between me and some, including all the right wingers. They ridicule me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed'...</p>

Domi's wife takes divorce public In interview, Leanne Domi says the `facts are facts' about Tie and Belinda Toronto red Star Sep. 26, 2006. 01:00 AM ROSIE DIMANNO, STAR COLUMNIST All the world's a sucker for scandal, especially when there's sex involved. Loving and un-loving: It's the stuff of vicarious, if cheap, thrills. And in a celebrity-challenged country such as Canada — where hockey is politics — the gasp-snicker subject of the day must needs be The Battle of the Domis, with an uptown girl-pol thrown in for titillation. Not exactly Jen and Brad and Angelina, but juicy enough...

OTTAWA, September 22, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Opposition MP Belinda Stronach, the former Minister of Human Resources while the Liberal Government was in power, was quoted in the Toronto Star yesterday suggesting that women's groups which do not support abortion should not receive government funding.  Speaking of government funding for women's groups such as REAL Women Canada which are pro-life, Stronach said, "They should be rejected because they're anti-choice and they're also anti-equal rights. They don't support equality."The suggestion alienates a majority of Canadian women.  A Focus Canada poll conducted in October 2005 by Environics Research found that 64% of Canadian...

But Clinton’s new, er, friendship isn’t helping his wife’s presidential aims, writes eric reguly As potential girlfriends go, Belinda Stronach would rank as a true catch. She is single, youngish (she just turned 40), attractive, wealthy, impeccably well-connected and politically ambitious - glamorous in every respect. Two years ago, Time magazine listed her as one of the 100 most powerful people on the planet. The tabloids cut to the chase: they called her the "blonde bombshell" or "Bubba's blonde." Bubba, of course, is Bill Clinton. He has been photographed with Stronach (right) several times. The sightings seem to be getting...

Billionaire Belinda Stronach insists there is nothing true about the rumors she and former President Clinton are having an affair, adding that it's all a Republican plot. The ultra-wealthy member of Canada's parliament, who switched from the Conservative to the Liberal party, told the Montreal Gazette that the rumors upset her and she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry about the global hullabaloo over her alleged role as Cinton's latest squeeze. Echoing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's famous allegation of a "vast right-wing conspiracy," Stronach told the Gazette she suspects the rumors have been spread by Republicans. But it wasn't...

Since there is much buzz these days about an apparent relationship between Bill Clinton and Canada's Belinda Stronach, some of you might find it amusing to see just what kind of person she is. Click on the source URL to get to a list of articles about her. You will be amazed. Most of them were written durring the time she was running for the leadership of Canada's Conservative Party. After she lost the leadership race, she was elected an MP and became a member of the opposition cabinet. She basicly did next to nothing there, then jumped ship to...

Most of us have relatives who we might not be particularly proud of. But whatever their foibles, it isn't fair to blame you for your relative's indiscretions. Normally, that should be true. But if you are a Minister of the Crown, and your brother is involved in an ongoing money-making enterprise designed to evade our government's law enforcement, does that make it different? Does a situation like that leave the Minister in a situation in which her powers and influence as a member of cabinet could be used to shield that sibling? Does even the potential of such an abuse...

Belinda Stronach - the former Conservative party leadership contender and current Liberal cabinet minister - was whining last week that as a politician, she gets singled out for criticism just because she's a woman. "I think we are held to maybe a different standard," she complained. "I'm often asked what clothes am I wearing, what shoes am I wearing, where do I get my hair cut? "I don't often think men get asked those questions," she said. Really? That would be news to former Reform party leader Preston Manning, whose nerdy appearance - and even by saying that, we're proving...

MONTREAL — Former president Bill Clinton says he was just as surprised as everyone else when former Conservative MP Belinda Stronach defected to the Liberals last spring. Clinton, a friend of Stronach’s, says he had no prior knowledge of her stunning decision last May, which helped the governing Liberals barely survive a non-confidence vote. He says he had nothing to do with her decision, though he later concluded she had a "principled reason" for doing it. Stronach was elected to the House of Commons in 2004 as a Conservative after her high-profile bid to lead the party was thwarted by...

I was amused by how many people expected me to join in the weeping and wailing over the defection of Belinda Stronach. I was so pleased with the news that I sent her a thank you note. I enjoy having time prove me right. Those who openly questioned her abilities, qualification and commitment were written off as jealous or sexist dinosaurs. Most of the media was so intent on selling the myth that she was a sharp, capable and popular conservative that they overlooked nearly all evidence to the contrary. As a leadership candidate Belinda was unimpressive. The only successes...

From the lips of the lovely Belinda Stronach, Canada received her Judas kiss yesterday. It allowed a bottomlessly corrupt government to escape an election; to continue in office with an agenda that will tear to pieces what remains of our social fabric; which will radically advance the cause of separatism in Quebec, and spread it irretrievably to Western Canada; which will put the country on the fiscal skids. This should not be understated: our country has been delivered into the hands of the wreckers. I am writing this column now because I do not believe I could persuade my editor...

OTTAWA (CP) - The defeat of the Paul Martin government became less likely with the stunning defection of a high-profile Tory MP into the Liberal cabinet on Tuesday. Martin sat beside a smiling Belinda Stronach at a surprise news conference and introduced her as his new human resources minister. The prime minister also said she will be in charge of implementing clean-government measures after the sponsorship inquiry reports. Stronach's departure is a blow to the Tories on several levels - starting with a confidence vote Thursday in the House of Commons. The government can now likely survive with the support...

Grits break ranks; same-sex vote holds Tim Naumetz CanWest News Service NATIONAL POST Thursday, May 05, 2005 OTTAWA - The government's controversial same-sex marriage bill easily passed second reading in the Commons yesterday by a 164-137 vote, but there were signs it has no future with the Conservatives poised to defeat the minority Liberal government in a confidence vote. Thirty-five Liberal members of Parliament broke ranks to align themselves with Conservative leader Stephen Harper against the legislation, which would make Canada one of only three countries to legally recognize marriage for gay couples. Only four Conservatives, including former leadership...

TALK about will power! Bill Clinton avoided the temptations of beef, a blonde and bad boy Jack Nicholson on his big night out in Manhattan on Tuesday. The former prez, pictured at left, leaving BLT Steak at 1 a.m. yesterday — enjoyed a late-night feast with 10 pals, including Nicholson, movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer and beautiful Canadian politician Belinda Stronach, a longtime close friend of Clinton. While the others feasted on steak, creamed spinach, popovers and fine wine, Clinton — recovering from two major heart operations — stuck to "swordfish, roast chicken and white asparagus," a restaurant spokeswoman said. Bubba...

A stunning new development threatens to blow the lid off the secret affair between Bill Clinton and a super rich Westchester County divorcee that was first revealed by the Enquirer in early June.A pedestrian outside Clinton's Harlem office says she was run over by the woman we have identifed in previous reports as Bill Clinton's mistress--and the Enquirer has the police report from the incident.The accident victim charges the entire incident has been covered up. What's more, insiders say the ex-husband of Clinton's secret lover is furious about the affair.The issue that goes on sale Friday features an interview with...

TAS Live Clinton's Leading Conservative Lady By John H. Fund Published 3/17/2004 12:06:04 AM Belinda Stronach could become Canada's version of Arnold Schwarzenegger if she wins enough votes of paid-up party members to become head of the country's new Conservative Party in a March election. Only 37, she's rich, glamorous, photogenic, designer clad, and the daughter of an Austrian immigrant who is worth $600 million. If she becomes party leader, she will be its candidate for prime minister in elections later this year. For the last two years Stronach has served as CEO of Magna International, the $13 billion auto...

Belinda Stronach could become Canada's version of Arnold Schwarzenegger if she wins enough votes of paid-up party members to become head of the country's new Conservative Party in a March election. Only 37, she's rich, glamorous, photogenic, designer clad, and the daughter of an Austrian immigrant who is worth $600 million. If she becomes party leader, she will be its candidate for prime minister in elections later this year. For the last two years Stronach has served as CEO of Magna International, the $13 billion auto parts manufacturer her father founded. She's the only woman CEO of a Fortune Global...

Belinda Stronach could become Canada's version of Arnold Schwarzenegger if she wins enough votes of paid-up party members to become head of the country's new Conservative Party in a March election. Only 37, she's rich, glamorous, photogenic, designer clad, and the daughter of an Austrian immigrant who is worth $600 million. If she becomes party leader, she will be its candidate for prime minister in elections later this year. For the last two years Stronach has served as CEO of Magna International, the $13 billion auto parts manufacturer her father founded. She's the only woman CEO of a Fortune Global...

Belinda Stronach is the only candidate who is clearly able to beat Paul Martin: Poll TORONTO, March 14 /CNW/ - The Conservative Party would have the bestchance of winning the next election if Belinda Stronach were the leader, a poll conducted by Acrobat Research Ltd. on March 12 and 13 found. In a head to head choice between Paul Martin and the Liberal Party and each of the three candidates as leader of the new Conservative Party, 46% of Canadians would vote for Stronach and the Conservatives over Paul Martin and the Liberals at 37%. Paul Martin and the Liberals...

In America, Belinda Stronach is a name that does not often come up in daily water cooler chitchat. But a good friend of hers, Bill Clinton's, often does. What is interesting about Belinda's and Bill's friendship is not so much the fact that Belinda is a striking 37 year old blonde, or that they have been spotted in several high-class eateries as well as Belinda's family's' race track. But rather, the fact that Belinda Stronach, a relatively little-known $13 billion auto parts factory owning heiress, could become not only Canada's next Conservative Leader, but also Canada's first woman Prime Minister....

After a steady stream of mostly flattering headlines, Conservative leadership candidate Belinda Stronach received some unwelcome attention Friday in the form of a supermarket tabloid front page that blared: Hillary Screams Divorce Over BILL'S NEW BLOND. The headline in the Globe weekly, a reference to Stronach's friendship with former U.S. president Bill Clinton, is accompanied by a full-page photo of the two walking together into a Toronto charity event last year. The innuendo-filled article suggests Hillary Clinton, a New York senator and the wife of the former president, is upset that rumours of an amorous liaison between her husband and...

Hillary Clinton is furious, apparently, and has warned her husband, Bill, to "cool his 'close relationship' with a wealthy blond divorcee . . ." according to this week's cover story in the supermarket tabloid the Globe. The rich blond divorcée? Well, she's none other than Belinda Stronach, one of the leadership candidates for the Conservative Party. She and the former U.S. president are featured prominently in this week's issue. (Remember there is a Canadian connection because Bonnie Fuller, the chief editorial director of the company that owns the Globe, is a Canadian who has made it big as a magazine...

Belinda Stronach is the worst possible choice for party leader. I would vote for a woman like Deb Grey or Margaret Thatcher in a heartbeat, and I was hoping that Belinda would be a strong candidate, but she is all marketing and no substance. She either has few conviction on big issues, or she is too timid to say what they are without checking first if they are popular. It seems like no matter what issue you ask her about, she jumps back to reciting some part of her campaign speech. What policies she does have are really no different...

Belinda Stronach's position as CEO of Magna International has given her automatic leadership cred. CREDIT: Carlo Allegri, National Post Belinda Stronach's family and business connections have long given her access to the world of politics. Among guests at a charity fundraising golf game in 2001 at the Magna Golf Course in Aurora was former U.S. president Bill Clinton. CREDIT: Peter Redman, National PostIf one requires evidence of the wisdom of positioning Belinda Stronach as a possible leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, one need only look to the fact she hasn't yet announced her candidacy and already she's the...

OTTAWA -- Belinda Stronach, the millionaire head of Magna International, has decided to seek the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, a campaign source said Wednesday. ''She's in the race. A formal announcement will be made next week. She's committed to the future of the party and she's committed to the future of the country.'' Stronach, 37, provides a much-needed injection of life into a leadership race that so far has been denoted by high-profile candidates opting out rather than in. Two potential candidates, Tory leader Peter MacKay and Calgary lawyer Jim Prentice, announced this week that they won't...

Former United States President Bill Clinton has bought a holiday home at an exclusive Irish Golf Club it emerged today. Mr. Clinton who was this week pictured playing golf at Royal County Down is expected to take over the duplex at the K Club in Kildare County later this summer.His purchase includes two full memberships at the Irish course, which is host to the Ryder Cup Golf Competition [between the United States and Europe] in 2006.He is said to have been invoved in negotiations with developers over a number of months and to have deferred the deal on several occasions.Prices...