Bev Oda is History

Harper Can't Skate Around this Much Longer

One of the things this Harper government is not very good at recognizing is, when the jig is up. On the surface you might think that the PM is incredibly loyal to his ministers and is inclined to back them up no matter what but, we all remember what happened to Helen Guergis.

This latest problem the Tories are facing isn't going away. Harper can only stonewall so long. The opposition smell blood and unless the Liberal and the NDP get cold feet once again, we'll be facing an election before this matter dies a natural death.

I may be wrong but it appears to me and many others that what happened is very straight forward.

The story could have very well unfolded this way:

• KAIROS submitted a proposal just as they had done for decades, requesting funding for their programs overseas.
• CIDA looked the proposal over and found it to be in line with policy and similar to proposals it had funded in the past and in September recommended approval. 
• The Minister, Bev Oda and her staff looked the proposal over in November and seeing nothing amiss, she signed it approving the grant.

It was shortly after that is when I suspect the "Oh shit" moment occurred.

It isn't that hard to come to the conclusion that the PMO, heavy on ideology but a bit  light when it comes to accuracy somehow got a bee in their bonnet about KAIROS.  Someone went on a rant about the agency and Oda was stuck with a document she had signed approving funding to the organization.

In the Harper camp, no one wants to piss off  Stevie, cabinet minister or not. So Oda got on her Blackberry, called her staff and said, "What the hell do we do now?"  The rest is history.

Bev Oda had every right to ask for changes to the KIAROS proposal or to turn it down outright. But, any cabinet minister worth her salt who didn't agree with a  proposal recommended by CIDA would have asked for a meeting and expressed concern if they thought there was anything amiss.  I suspect that sort of thing happens all the time.

To  change the meaning of the document after it had been signed by CIDA, thereby making it appear that this was all ia CIDA decision, then to lie about it is unconscionable.

So I think that Stephen Harper will defend Oda a bit longer then, Oda will stand up and say that she is resigning of her own accord because, the whole matter is a distraction from the "important business of Parliament."

Either way. Don't expect Oda to hang around much longer.  Bev Oda is Conservative Senate material, for sure.