Two days later, still shocked

I can’t get my head around this latest election. Have we reelected Harper out of apathy, or due to an uninformed public?

Here’s one example of the utter illogic of this election: the conservative MP Bev Oda was reelected in Durham region in Ontario. If you’re a Canadian and you don’t recognize her name, you should, as you’ve nearly footed her several expensive limo rides:

In 2006, Oda paid back $2,200 to taxpayers after the Liberals found that she had incurred nearly $5,500 in limo rides at the 2006 Juno Awards in Halifax. In 2008, she was accused of hiding over $17,000 of limo expenses billed to taxpayers. (See: Wikipedia)

That’s already appalling, but what is more shocking is that Oda played a role in the recent ruling which found the Conservatives in contempt of parliament. The quick version of the story is that bureaucrats had okayed a funding bill for a human rights organization, KAIROS, and the bill found its way to Oda for her final signature (as Minister for International Cooperation). She signed off on it, all right, but not before altering one crucial aspect of the document: she added a “not” to the line which said KAIROS would be receiving funding. Then, in Parliament, she lied by claiming that she had received the document unaltered. You can read a bit more about it here, and find other sources via the links there.

Purportedly KAIROS was denied funding due to their critical stance on Conservative policies RE: Israel-Palestine, which is an absurd reason to make such a policy decision.

I should point out that KAIROS is a faith-based organization, and so I don’t believe that they should receive government funding. But it’s not up to Bev Oda to make these decisions on her own in such a totalitarian manner, and then lie about it once she’s caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Not only did Oda get reelected in Durham, but she was elected with a majority vote in her riding. It’s just sick. What the hell happened on May 2?!?

(If you’re wondering, I threw an impotent Liberal vote at the Conservative howl of Newmarket-Aurora)