Bev Oda: shades of Bulte
p2pnet.net News:- Hours after questions were raised in the House of Commons, Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda cancelled a planned fundraiser on her behalf backed by the broadcasting industry.
Yesterday, NDP Heritage critic Charlie Angus called attention to the fundraiser, noting that it promised to provide access to both Oda and guest speaker Industry Minister Maxime Bernier.
He summed it up as “the broadcast review happens in two weeks. The cash grab happens next week. Why is the minister using her office to trade political access for political contributions?”
Oda responded by arguing that she was following the law (”I have observed every rule existing right now”). Hours later, she did an about face and cancelled the fundraiser. This should have been obvious – the Minister of Canadian Heritage simply cannot have a fundraiser hosted on her behalf by her friends in the broadcast industry.
The incident brings to mind Oda’s earlier fundraising activities from the same industries as well as the Bulte fundraiser controversy during the last election.
While those cases demonstrate that cash from the copyright and broadcast industries have been commonplace, it is evident that there is now far greater scrutiny of the lobbying activities on these issues and that accepting lobby money generates considerable political risk. Oda may have rightly cancelled the fundraiser (something Bulte should also have done), but her credibility as a Minister has clearly taken a hit.
Michael Geist
[Geist is the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa. He can be reached by email at mgeist[at]uottawa.ca and is on-line at www.michaelgeist.ca.]
Here’s the full exchange as published in Hansard on November 7
[Angus] Mr. Speaker, next week, the heritage minister is holding a major fundraiser and, for the price of a ticket, one gets access not just to the heritage minister but to the industry minister. The woman who is flogging the tickets for the minister just happens to be Charlotte Bell who is head of regulatory affairs for CanWest. She just happens to be the go-to gal for industry trying to influence the upcoming regulatory review affecting both heritage and industry.
The broadcast review happens in two weeks. The cash grab happens next week. Why is the minister using her office to trade political access for political contributions?
Hon. Bev Oda (Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I have observed every rule existing right now. I concur with the President of the Treasury Board that we need to get the accountability act enacted, which we could, in fact, do this afternoon, but I would still be adhering to the laws next week.
[Angus] Mr. Speaker, the minister does not even blush. Everybody knows that the television, broadcast and telecom review is up for grabs. That is the minister charged with the review. We have a lobbyist trying to influence that review and they all come together around a big fancy fundraiser.
I listened to her response. How tawdry. What a sad excuse.
Is the message from the government that if people want access to the reclusive minister, then they need to get out and hustle for her political machine?
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November 10th, 2006 at 12:08 am
Mr. Angus brought the issue up just prior to Question Period (During “Statements from Members”) again today. Hopefully if anyone reading this is a constituent of Mr. Angus they will send him a letter of thanks!