Reaction to the latest political bombshell ranged from anger to bewilderment and shock Tuesday, after Belinda Stronach abandoned the Opposition for a seat in cabinet.

Responding to the surprise announcement that Stronach had left the Conservatives to be Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin's minister of human resources on Tuesday, Opposition leader Stephen Harper chalked it up to ambition.

"I told my wife only a few days ago that I thought it had become obvious to Belinda that her leadership ambitions would not be reached in this party, regardless of whether or not we won the last election," Harper told reporters at a hastily-convened press conference in Ottawa.

Harper, who received a phone call from Stronach not long before the announcement, said members of his caucus are feeling "devastated" and "betrayed" but that he wasn't surprised.

"Frankly, I'm relieved we've at least gone through this before an election, rather than during it."

Stronach said she left the party because she doesn't want to defeat the government on the budget with the help of the Bloc Quebecois. She said that would ultimately leave the Conservative government "beholden to the separatists."

A vote will be held in the House of Commons on Thursday on the budget. If defeated, it would trigger an election, because any money bill is considered a vote of confidence in the government.

Parting shots

Coming just days before that critical vote, Stronach announced her shifting allegiance with a parting shot at the man she challenged in the New Conservative Party's first leadership race.

"I regret to say that I do not believe the party leader is truly sensitive to the needs of each part of the country and just how big and complex Canada really is," Stronach said of Harper.

Later, Harper shot back his terse response.

"I've never really noticed complexity to be Belinda's strong point," he said.

Harper rebuffed Stronach's criticism about the Tory party's failure to recognize the complex makeup of Canada.

"I think there's lots of people who represent lots of different perspectives in out party. And I think we're going to have a great slate of candidates who are all going to be committed to winning the next election."

Harper said he was "certain" that no other MPs would jump the Conservative ship, but added that "we'll have a caucus meeting between now and Thursday and make sure everybody's still on board."

"Obviously Belinda's actions today make the defeat of the government on Thursday much less likely," he said.

"But that doesn't in any way change the principled position that our caucus has taken on this issue."

Political Firestorm

B.C. Conservative MP James Moore was less effective in hiding his distaste for what he believes the sudden announcement reveals about Stronach.

"I think it shows there are two kinds of people in public life -- people with principle and people like Belinda Stronach," he told CTV News.

According to Ontario Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, the defection also betrays Liberal desperation.

"It has everything to do with the fact she was offered a plum job and Paul Martin is offering every bribe he can to cling on to power," he said.

At the provincial level, Conservative member of the Alberta legislature Tony Abbott was even more outspoken.

"To me, what it is, it's a little rich girl basically whoring herself out to the Liberals," he said.

And in Ontario, former provincial Tory cabinet minister Bob Runciman described Stronach as "attractive," a "dipstick" and a political joke.

"I think she sort of defined herself as something of a dipstick -- an attractive one, but still a dipstick -- with what she's done here today," Runciman told CFRB Radio.

"And if she did have aspirations of leadership, for whatever party it might be in this country, I think she's pretty well done herself in."

According to Stronach's riding vice-president, no matter how one feels about her decision, such remarks are too personal.

"She's a mother," Don Constable told CTV. "I mean how would people feel if this was your sister or mother or wife or girlfriend, how would you feel."

Others, however, lamented the toll on politics.

"It's appalling," Alberta Advanced Education Minister David Hancock said Tuesday.

"She got elected as a Conservative, she ran for the leadership of the Conservatives, and I think that sort of positioning just brings the whole operation of politics and politicians into disrepute."

New Brunswick's Conservative Premier Bernard Lord echoed the sentiment. "This is just another action, another moment, that breeds cynicism of electors," he said.

Riding Reaction

In Stronach's Ontario riding of Newmarket-Aurora, were taken aback by the sudden change of their riding's political stripe.

"I don't believe it," said one woman, when asked her opinion of the day's developments. "I just don't believe it. I think she's too much of a Conservative."

Another told CTV Stronach's move was a good one.

"She's always said the budget was good for Canada, so I think she's made the right decision."

"I think while she does a good job as it is, so whatever she wants to do, I'm behind her," said one man.

Meanwhile, disgruntled Conservative supporters showed up at Stronach's riding office, demanding answers.

"I hope that there are some strong-willed Liberals who are going to see this tonight and cross the floor...and get rid of this goddamned corrupt government," one man told CTV News Toronto.

Stronach's future relationship with Peter MacKay

Stronach's announcement that she would be leaving the Conservative party came as word came that she and Conservative Deputy Leader Peter MacKay were going to be taking a break from their relationship.

The high-profile MPs confirmed in January that they were a couple.

On Tuesday, CP reported that MacKay was holed up in his office watching developments on the television, refusing to comment on Stronach's defection to the Liberals.

Sources told CP he only learned of Stronach's decision just before she made it public on Tuesday morning.

While Stronach said Tuesday that she had a "great deal of respect" for MacKay, she would not answer a reporter's question on the future of their relationship.

"First of all, my future relationship with Mr. MacKay, that's a private and personal matter, which I will not comment on."

She also declined to comment on whether MacKay would be following her across the floor for a cabinet seat.

"I have a great deal of respect for Peter MacKay and the integrity that he has and the contribution that he has made to the Conservative party, the growth of the Conservative party ... but you'll have to speak with Peter," she said.

Meanwhile, Harper suggested that MacKay was upset by Stronach's intentions.

"If she has such a high opinion of Peter MacKay, I would venture today after my discussion with him, she has an awfully tough way of conveying that to him.

"I think Peter's taking this pretty hard, as you can imagine."

Dollar rises

Even the loonie reacted to Stronach's political manoeuvring Tuesday, moving up from a seven-month low after the announcement of the defection this morning.

The dollar, which had lost 1.8 cents US in three sessions, moved up from a seven-month low while Prime Minister Paul Martin made the announcement in Ottawa.

Analyst George Davis at RBC Capital Markets told The Canadian Press that with a crucial budget vote coming Thursday, "that's one less vote that the Liberals have to worry about now."

The dollar has been under pressure since Martin added $4.6 billion in new social spending in late April to gain NDP support for the budget.

With reports from CTV News and The Canadian Press