Political Capital

What happens in Montreal stays in Montreal, as savvy Ottawa politicians with a foot across the provincial border already know.

By Shinan Govani
Illustration by Clare Mallison

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“Just follow the rose petals,” the shiny pseudo-model wearing a vanilla coat tells us when we blow in off the street. We dutifully follow the flora, winding our way up to the penthouse of the hippest new address in Old Montreal. The invite tonight is from the debutante public servant Belinda Stronach, a member of the House of Commons who ain’t common at all. She’s an MP and a VIP, one of those Liberal cauldrons of ambition with a famously transportable last name.

“I just moved in this weekend,” she tells me as I move in for the obligatory Montreal kiss-kiss. For some years now, the talk has been of the SoHo-fication of the Old Port, which is now full of boutique hotels, chic people wearing dandy scarves and miles of well-worn architecture. And now that a certain headline-hogging somebody has set up shop, you might say that the gentrification is really, truly complete.

Federal politicians have, of course, long used Montreal – that freer, more laissez-faire damsel just a highway away – for both respite and escape. It’s a good place to have a base for a pol like Belinda, who appears to be signalling with her Quebec pied-à-terre that perhaps one day she’ll have her eyes on bigger prizes.

Speaking of which, our heiress hostess is not styled for Question Period tonight. Her buttery blonde tresses are curlier and minus the serious centre part. She’s wearing a plutocrat peasant top and hip Chip and Pepper jeans. (Denim patriotism!) As always, Belinda’s face is aglow with her famous Cheshire Cat smile.

Tonight it’s not just the smile that perplexes – it’s the vibe. Can’t put a finger on it exactly, but there’s something a bit touch-and-go about the soiree: the folks here simply aren’t sure how to behave in a situation with a public person in her very private realm.

Have the people here been summoned to meet Belinda the politician? Belinda the socialite? Does the private just simply mesh with the public – inevitably, indubitably, predictably? Or is it simply what it appears to be: a housewarming meet-and-greet and a chance to show off her cool new digs?

“Can I fill up your glass?” a server in a leather jacket asks us, topping up the Veuve Clicquot in my friend’s glass almost before she has a chance to respond. “I’ve been told not to let glasses be half empty,” the server adds. In a corner, some monochromatic men are having a serious discussion. By the bar, I make the acquaintance of a milky-skinned former MusiquePlus VJ, a local celebrity who I don’t know at all, so I try to raise a subject that may help bridge the cultural gap. Madonna seems to work; Snow White and I gab with ease.

People are really eating up the coconut rice and caramelized chicken on offer from the Souvenirs d’Indochine chef, Belinda’s favourite. Almost as much as they are eating up favourite son Justin Trudeau, who makes a cameo appeaance, apparently having mastered the art of the celebrity drop-in.

And the place itself? For a daughter of an auto parts tycoon, Belinda’s crib is pretty understated. An intimate gives us a tour: Persian carpets are insouciantly strewn everywhere. ( Belinda’s Eastern European, so she doesn’t like anything too modern… ) The handsome grand piano has just landed in the middle of the room ( No, she doesn’t play… ) from South Carolina, where it was found. The art is largely contemporary and shows a canny sense of chuckle. ( Those quirky ink drawings of Nana Mouskouri? Belinda just liked them… ) The view from the rooftop terrace of flickering downtown in the distance is Marvel Comics-worthy.

Belinda’s own take on her new pad, just a hopscotch away from all her parliamentary action, is especially canny: “The best part about Ottawa,” she tells me, “is Montreal.” 

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Shinan Govani is the Scene columnist for the National Post and frequently appears on television commenting on celebrities and the social whirl. Write him at sgovani@enroutemag.net.

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