Jun 21, 2009 - 04:30 AM

By Parvaneh Pessian

WHITBY -- These days, it's no easy feat to land an hour-long sit-down with one of the province's busiest women as she bounces from one city to the next in a fashion that would leave anyone frazzled.

Confident, calm and classy, Christine Elliott shows up looking like the embodiment of her Superwoman reputation, dressed head to toe in a demure business suit, not a hair out of place.

We've found a spot in downtown Whitby at the law offices of Flaherty Dow Elliott and McCarthy, a place she seldom has time to visit since first elected as MPP of Whitby-Oshawa in 2006.

In addition to her political duties, Ms. Elliot juggles an onslaught of other roles from dedicated community volunteer and activist to loving mother of 18-year-old triplet boys.

Most recently, she entered the race to replace John Tory as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party -- a move that has her feeling both excited and nervous.

"You just try and maintain an even temperament as you go through the whole thing because there's ups and downs in the campaign but, overall, I'm feeling very good," she says.

Ms. Elliott, 53, was born in Oshawa and grew up in Whitby, attending what is now Florence M. Heard Public School and later Anderson Collegiate. She spread her wings after completing her studies at the University of Western Ontario to practise law in Toronto. It was there that she met Jim Flaherty, now Whitby-Oshawa MP and federal finance minister. The pair married in July 1986 and, three years later, moved back to Whitby to start a life together.

Ms. Elliott fondly reflects on her early years in Whitby, which she remembers as a distinctly small-town type of community where visits to the County Town Carnival and Brooklin Spring Fair still stand out as some of her favourite childhood memories.

"Whitby has been able to maintain a lot of that smaller town, community feeling even though it's grown tremendously and I think that we really need to try very hard to try and maintain that because I think that's what appeals to a lot of people when they choose Whitby as their home," she says.

It's that small-town atmosphere where neighbours bend over backwards to help each other that has molded her values when it comes to public service, consequently influencing her decision to step into the political realm, she adds.

Ms. Elliott has been twice elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, a role that has propelled her into the spotlight. With two of her boys venturing off to university in the fall, she thought the time was right for her to step up to the plate in a bid for leadership of the party.

"I'm running because I think I have the experience that can help turn Ontario around," she says.

"I've got my 30 years of experience as a professional, as a small businesswoman, I'm a mom and I've also had 20 years of experience in working with vulnerable people."

Generally soft-spoken, her casual tone takes a fiery turn as she discusses the seriousness with which she views her role as representative of the riding.

Focusing her attention on some of her major concerns, Ms. Elliott speaks with an intense passion, branching off from broad topics to draw upon specific -- and often, local -- impacts. She points to the ongoing need to build on infrastructure across municipalities, untangle knots in the Province's health-care system, and continue to work toward lifting the country out of economical turmoil.

"With the job losses in Whitby and Oshawa, of course, you feel it personally because you do feel a sense of responsibility that people are going through such very difficult times and it is important to me to try and be part of the solution," Ms. Elliott says.

Her eyes light up as she discusses her extensive experience as a community volunteer, acting as a champion for a variety of causes, including breaking down barriers for people with special needs.

Her fervent efforts toward establishing the Abilities Centre, a fully-accessible recreational facility to be located in Whitby, have not gone unnoticed across the region.

A long-time friend of Ms. Elliott, Conservative consultant Jaime Watt, describes her as "one of the special people in life" and said he was thrilled to see her name tossed into the race, bringing a combination of important strengths to the table.

"She's a lawyer, she cares about vulnerable people, she's a mother, she's been elected twice (and) she understands the complexity of Ontario," he said.

Edging closer to the big vote, Ms. Elliott strikes a conciliatory tone when discussing her opponents, but her conviction to evoke lasting change is not lost in her bouts of modesty.

"I firmly believe that we need to look forward for our solutions as a party (and) that it's not good enough to look back and replicate old campaigns," she says.

It's Ms. Elliott's ability to maintain a cool head under pressure that allows her to stand out among the competition, says her husband.

"What people don't recognize is her strength of character. She is a strong person and I can say that we've had some adversity from time to time in family life and so on and she is a Rock of Gibraltar when things are difficult."

And what is Ms. Elliott's own take on how she manages to tackle so many different roles while remaining a pillar of strength for those around her?

"There's no magic in it really," she laughs. "I think like most working mothers, you just try and keep all the balls in the air at any given time and just do the best that you can . . . nobody's Superwoman."