Oda’s Spending Behavior Odious

Canada’s International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda seems destined to go down in Canadian political history as the self-appointed Queen of Spending from the Public Trough for her apparent extravagant financial habits at the public’s expense. She has been caught on at least two separate occasions in the past six years, racking up expenditures that apparently were more a result of her high opinion of herself, rather than necessity. Oda apologized this week for her latest publicized overspending, in London, England last June. But the situation still reeks of her apparent cavalier approach to spending money that isn't hers.

In the first publicized instance of Oda's perceived reckless spending of taxpayers' money, in 2006, she was called on the carpet for paying to use limousines at Canada's biggest music show, the Juno Awards, in Halifax. At that time, according to The Huffington Post, "Oda told the Commons she had partially repaid the government for her use of limousines. In 2006, she had spent $5,476 for the limos during the Juno awards in Halifax. She later reimbursed the government for $2,226 of the bill."
Now, this week Oda apologized in the House of Commons, this time for her latest big-spending extravaganza last June--or at least the latest one that has been made public. But saying 'I'm sorry' only when questioned about her extravagances, a year after the fact, leads her so-called apology to seem questionable at best. 
Childish or Piggish?

In the latest instance of Oda's wild overspending of taxpayers' money, in June 2011 while attending a conference in London, England, she seemed to behave like a kid locked in a candy store--determined to take all she could while the going was good; or like a hog at meal time--determined to slurp up as much slop as she could at the public trough before the farmer saw what she was doing and made her stop.

Oda apparently thought staying at London's swanky Grange St. Paul’s Hotel—where the conference was being held--wasn’t good enough for her. So she upgraded herself to the five-star Savoy Hotel. According to The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/24/bev-oda-sorry-apology-hotel-expenses_n_1449784.html), the London Evening Standard newspaper claims the Savoy “has been a favoured destination of royalty — the real kind, as well as the Hollywood and rock-music variety.”

Just a Politician, Not a Princess

Unfortunately, Oda doesn’t seem to realize she is really just a well-paid public servant and not an actual princess or other royalty—notwithstanding her apparent self-perception. Perhaps she thought the accommodations at the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel were inferior for someone of her perceived stature; and that being booked into that hotel reflected badly on her, compared to accommodations she believes she deserves. 
So Oda did what seems to come so naturally to her: using taxpayers' money, she blithely upsized her London living quarters to the Savoy. To those who haven’t been to merry old England, the Savoy Hotel reportedly is just a 25-minute walk from Oda’s conference at the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel; also the site of her original accommodations. 
Then, despite the short distance from Oda's new accommodations at the Savoy Hotel to the conference site at the Grange St. Paul's Hotel, The Huffington Post says today Oda charged $2,850 for three days of a luxury car service, "including 15 hours on June 13, 2011. Oda’s itinerary shows she was supposed to be at the conference site — the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel — from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. that day, after which she had private time.”

Access to Information

Oda apparently felt no shame or guilt or otherwise had no qualms about her spending in London until earlier this week when the media got wind of her actions. The Huffington Post says The Canadian Press obtained documents under the Access to Information Act, showing “Oda refused to stay at the first location, and was booked into the Savoy hotel two kilometres away for $665 a night. The government was billed a cancellation fee for the Grange hotel of $287. Oda repaid $1,353.81 to cover the difference between the two hotels, the cancellation fee, plus a $16 orange juice she had charged to her room.”

An Apology of Convenience?

Earlier this week, Oda apologized in the House of Commons for her extravagance last June in London: "Mr. Speaker, the expenses are unacceptable, should never have been charged to taxpayers, I have repaid the costs associated with the changing of hotels and I unreservedly apologize," Oda told the House of Commons (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/24/bev-oda-sorry-apology-hotel-expenses_n_1449784.html).

Despite Oda’s apology, many of her spending critics, including me, think she apologized because she got caught and felt forced to apologize, not because she really believed she did anything wrong. Otherwise, why didn’t she come clean and repay the money long before now? Why did she apologize and say her spending was out of line only when questioned about it and when she knew the jig was up?

Earlier this week NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay) took Oda to task in the House of Commons. He said he even called the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel and was told the hotel had free limo service Oda could have used if she felt compelled to have that kind of transportation. Even so, in Oda’s apology this week she didn’t explain why she changed hotels, or why, at the time of her apology, she was not reimbursing taxpayers for a luxury car and driver that spirited her around London at nearly $1,000 a day.

Repaid Expenses

Today, though, the Halifax Chronicle Herald (http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/90511-oda-has-repaid-limo-bill-her-office-says) reports that a brief message from Oda’s office said all incremental costs "that should not have been expensed" — including the car service — have been repaid.

“The repayment covered the costs associated with changing hotels: the difference in cost between the two hotels, the cancellation fee, the car service in London, and all incremental costs that should not have been charged to taxpayers,” spokesman Justin Broekema is quoted as saying, but apparently without providing a dollar figure.

Appearance of Wrongdoing Important

Ultimately, Oda doesn’t seem to realize or care that the appearance of wrongdoing is just as important as actual wrongdoing itself. When she was elected by her constituents she was effectively hired by them as a Member of Parliament. Thus, she works for her constituents and all other Canadians. She is not self-employed as she seems to think she is; she cannot do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with public money.
Oda Owes Better Behavior
Finally, by any reasonable standards, Oda is obligated, as a minister of the Crown, to behave responsibly in every way when representing her constituents and the country at home and abroad. She cannot be allowed to rip off taxpayers, and squander money from the public purse out of an apparent need to feed her ego; whenever she feels like it, or whenever she thinks she can get away with it.

As an employee of the taxpayers of Canada, Bev Oda was hired, in part, with the implicit understanding she would spend taxpayers’ money wisely and carefully. Clearly, however, she, and those who allow her to thumb her nose at honest Canadians have a lot to learn about maturity and behaving responsibly.