May 12
4
Bev Oda’s Partial Repayment: Rod Taylor
These days one need only open the CBC News webpage to find a thorough exposé of the latest alleged skullduggery of the Conservative government (i.e. The “Harper Government” as it is affectionately known by the downstream media.) Yesterday, CBC (the official organ of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition) had a Live! headline about Thomas Mulcair addressing the NDP Caucus on the anniversary of their “historic victory.” (Excuse me? Rising to the status of Official Opposition is certainly an achievement but I thought “victory” would be a word reserved for, er, the victors…like the Conservatives who—deserving or not—won a majority government.)
Today, the big headline was “Harper chief Nigel Wright’s F-35 conflict of interest.” What the article actually explained is that Harper’s Chief of Staff was taking extraordinary steps to avoid putting himself into a conflict of interest. No evidence of wrongdoing was dredged up; only that Mr. Wright would have to walk a very fine line to avoid placing himself in conflict in the future. It seems like the diligent detectives at CBC are ever on the alert for anything that can be played to expose the centrist Conservatives to ridicule and criticism and display the recently-crowned NDP Opposition in the kindest light possible. Their endless fawning coverage of the NDP leadership campaign was another example of disproportionate interest in internal party affairs, but…I am straying from the subject alluded to in the title of this article.
One of the mini-scandals seized on by the NDP and dutifully raised to front-page status by the national media was the recent revelation that International Development Minister Bev Oda had inappropriately stiffed taxpayers for lavish and unnecessary accommodations in London England. After a VERY brief moment of stardom, Ms. Oda reimbursed taxpayers $1,353.81 and apologized to Parliament (and to taxpayers) for her self-acknowledged abuse of privilege and power. This, of course, was also front-page news as it allowed the press additional opportunities to republish the sordid details of her selfish and unthinking transgressions.
I agree with the public outcry over the wasted $1,353.81 and I’m glad Ms. Oda felt compelled (whether by personal contrition or the heavy boots of embarrassed party officials it is not clear) to return the cash to public coffers. True, it seems a miniscule amount when compared to the $88 million that her “Conservative” government is borrowing every day. But then, every little bit helps.
Two things bother me about the NDP / media grandstanding in regard to Ms. Oda’s lavish hotel and limousine bills:
- The first is that every MP (with at least 6 years of service) is pocketing over $1,000 of taxpayers’ money each and every day—if you include the base salary of $157,000 / year and the $248,000 / year we pay into their pensions. In other words, Bev Oda is apologizing for a “one-night stand” which cost us barely more than every MP takes for granted, every single day of the year, besides their perks and office expenses.
- The second is that the same Bev Oda, last September, authorized $6 million worth of funding for Planned Parenthood International. Where’s the outcry? A few morally- reliable Tory MPs spoke out: Brad Trost, Maurice Vellacott and a few others. Where was the righteous indignation of the NDP stalwarts then? $6 million to support an organization that makes a living killing babies? And taxpayers are on the hook for that?
My point is that Bev Oda’s “lavish” hotel bill is small potatoes compared to the big story that nobody wanted to cover. A mere “thoughtless indiscretion.” Repaying that is about ¼ of 1% of what she makes each year. How about getting her and Mr. Harper to dig deep and pay back the misappropriated $6 million? Of course, paying back that money won’t bring back the dead babies but it would make a good news story…if anyone at CBC or down in the NDP strategy room was paying attention.