Posted by Sudbury Northern Life
Toronto - Being married to one of the most powerful men in
the land ought to be a help to someone running to lead a
political party, but it also could be a handicap.
Christine Elliott is one of four members of the legislature
running for Ontario Progressive Conservative leader, and she is
married to federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
Elliott, it should be stressed from the start, has been an MPP
only three years, but has strengths of her own, including being
intelligent and articulate and able to present a case well with
skills honed arguing as a lawyer, and deserves to be in the
race on her merits.
This is true particularly at a time opposition parties seeking
to push out the mostly comfortable Liberals are looking for new
faces. The New Democratic Party recently chose a leader, Andrea
Horwath, also with limited elected experience.
Being married to Flaherty gives Elliott advantages and
disadvantages. He is number two to Conservative Prime Minister
Stephen Harper, and when he speaks, investors sometimes tremble
and auto-manufacturing heads squirm.
There has not been a previous situation in Ontario, and
possibly Canada, where a candidate for provincial leader was so
close to a senior federal minister, so it is not possible to
predict based on precedent.
But one advantage is Flaherty already has run twice for party
leader in Ontario, where he also was finance minister, and
lost, because, although smart, he was just too far to the right
on policies for many Conservatives.
Flaherty has brought in some of his key organizers from
previous campaigns to help his wife and they will have learned
the pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Flaherty also has admirers from his past campaigns, where he
finished second both times and was the most stirring speaker,
and some will feel prompted to consider supporting his wife.
Some Conservatives will support Elliott because they want to be
on the right side of a federal finance minister when they lobby
for causes. This a party crammed with people who make their
careers in public relations and lobbying.
Elliott also was involved more than most wives in her husband's
previous leadership campaigns, because she long aspired to go
into elected politics, but agreed he should go first, and she
made contacts in them that will help her.
"Flaherty has brought in some of his key organizers from previous campaigns to help his wife and they will have learned the pitfalls and how to avoid them."
Among the disadvantages, Elliott as an opposition back
bencher is virtually unknown, but Flaherty is high profile, so
some newspapers inevitably have reported her entry to the race
with headlines such as "Flaherty's wife joins Ontario PC race,"
"Federal finance minister's wife runs" and  "Step aside
hubby, says Elliott."
These will reinforce the belief some already had Elliott is no
more than the wife of Flaherty, running for leader primarily
because her husband has pointed the way, and is some sort of
appendage of her husband, which belittles her when she is a
legitimate candidate in her own right.
Flaherty also made enemies in the Ontario party by being
over-aggressive toward opponents in both his races for leader,
charging his more moderate rivals, Ernie Eves and John Tory,
the eventual winners, were Liberals in disguise, and some may
want to take their revenge on his wife.
Opponents and particularly some news media who thrive on
conspiracies may be keen to portray Flaherty as an eminence
manipulating his wife from behind the throne, which will not
help her.
Some Conservatives also will be wary of choosing a leader who
is so close to someone at the top in the federal government she
may be seen as subservient to it.
Conservatives in Ontario won many elections over the years
partly by insisting the province should be independent of
governments in Ottawa, which most of the time were Liberal.
Elliott, whose record shows she is a more moderate Conservative
than the other candidates, also is trying to establish herself
as the only moderate in the race, but this is not easy when you
are married to a guy named Flaherty.
Eric Dowd is a veteran member of the Queen's Park press
gallery.
