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A political sensation in Canada

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A political sensation in Canada. Isn't that an oxymoron?

No. It's the political Play of the Week.

It's like a film noir. Betrayal. Dangerous liaisons. In an exotic and alluring locale -- Canada?

The femme fatale? Belinda Stronach, heiress to an auto parts fortune.

In 2003, Fortune Magazine ranked Stronach the second most powerful woman in international business.

She's also a good friend of Bill Clinton's, something that has not escaped the attention of the tabloids.

This week, Stronach made a move that shocked the normally staid world of Canadian politics.

Canada's government, headed by Liberal Party Prime Minister Paul Martin, is immersed in scandal. This week, he faced a showdown vote in parliament aimed at bringing his government down. It was excruciatingly close.

Then on Tuesday, Stronach, a Conservative legislator, made her move.

"I am very pleased to announce that Miss Stronach will cross the floor and has agreed to join the Cabinet," the prime minister said.

Stronach switched parties! It would be like House Republican leader Tom DeLay becoming a Democrat.

There was a complicating factor. Her relationship with the deputy leader of the Conservative Party.

"At the center of this drama is a very, very personal matter, which is her relationship with Peter MacKay," Margaret Wente of the Globe and Mail said. "And she dumped him. She dumped the party and she dumped him simultaneously."

MacKay was surprised by her move. "I just didn't see it coming," he said.

And he was devastated: "My heart's a little banged up, but that'll heal."

Stronach drew harsh criticism.

"I think she sort of defined herself as a dipstick -- an attractive one, but still a dipstick," former Cabinet Minister Bob Runciman said.

"It's a little rich girl who is basically whoring herself to the Liberals," Conservative legislator Tony Abbott said.

Talk about going over the line.

"Being called a whore, being called a dipstick, is quite different than being told that one has fashionable shoes," one female lawmaker said.

What about the government? Did it survive?

Yes, by one vote.

"They say politics is boring, but not anymore," one Canadian observed. "It's more like soap opera now."

And more like the political Play of the Week.

Canada has been moving away from the United States on policies. Like same-sex marriage. And marijuana. And Iraq.

But Canada's politics are beginning to look more and more American.

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Home Page Get up-to-the minute news from CNN CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.