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Foreign Affairs Committee asks House of Commons to look into Oda controversy
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has formally asked the House of Commons to review and act on allegations International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda misled MPs over what she knew about changes to a $7-million funding recommendation for international aid.
PARLIAMENT HILL—The House Foreign Affairs Committee has formally asked the House of Commons to review and act on allegations International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda misled MPs over what she knew about changes to a $7-million funding recommendation for international aid.
In a report tabled Thursday morning, the committee, with a dissenting minority report from Conservative MPs, cites contradictory statements Ms. Oda (Durham, Ont.) has given MPs about the origin of a single word in the recommendation that altered it to say the opposite of what the bureaucrats who submitted the recommendation to Ms. Oda had intended.
The committee report, which is bound to lead to a battle between the opposition and the government on the floor of the Commons, centres on a $7-million grant for human rights promotion that Ms. Oda denied the church-based development group Kairos in November of 2009.
The controversy was sparked because, on the day Ms. Oda’s signature was attached to the document, a person Ms. Oda has not yet identified pencilled the word “not” into a sentence to convert the recommendation from one of support for the grant—which came from the Canadian International Development Agency—to one of rejection.
Ms. Oda told the House Foreign Affairs Committee last Dec. 9 she did not know who inserted the “not” into the sentence, but told the Commons this past Monday “the ‘not’ was inserted at my direction.’” MPs question how she could have given the order, and yet not know who carried it out.
Meanwhile, opposition parties are calling for her resignation over the matter.
“In light of other information before the House, your Committee wishes to draw attention to what appears to be a possible breach of privilege and recommends that the House consider all relevant documents and ministerial and other statements and take such measures as deemed necessary,” the report states, above the name of the committee chair, Conservative MP Dean Allison (Niagara West-Glanbrook, Ont.).
The Conservative minority report says “no evidence” came before the committee that demonstrates Ms. Oda misled MPs.
The Commons must now deal with the report as it would any other committee report by debating it and voting on it, with opposition MPs at some point likely moving motions to propose actions, which could include a formal censure of Ms. Oda.
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Foreign Affairs Committee asks House of Commons to look into Oda controversy
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has formally asked the House of Commons to review and act on allegations International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda misled MPs over what she knew about changes to a $7-million funding recommendation for international aid.
PARLIAMENT HILL—The House Foreign Affairs Committee has formally asked the House of Commons to review and act on allegations International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda misled MPs over what she knew about changes to a $7-million funding recommendation for international aid.
In a report tabled Thursday morning, the committee, with a dissenting minority report from Conservative MPs, cites contradictory statements Ms. Oda (Durham, Ont.) has given MPs about the origin of a single word in the recommendation that altered it to say the opposite of what the bureaucrats who submitted the recommendation to Ms. Oda had intended.
The committee report, which is bound to lead to a battle between the opposition and the government on the floor of the Commons, centres on a $7-million grant for human rights promotion that Ms. Oda denied the church-based development group Kairos in November of 2009.
The controversy was sparked because, on the day Ms. Oda’s signature was attached to the document, a person Ms. Oda has not yet identified pencilled the word “not” into a sentence to convert the recommendation from one of support for the grant—which came from the Canadian International Development Agency—to one of rejection.
Ms. Oda told the House Foreign Affairs Committee last Dec. 9 she did not know who inserted the “not” into the sentence, but told the Commons this past Monday “the ‘not’ was inserted at my direction.’” MPs question how she could have given the order, and yet not know who carried it out.
Meanwhile, opposition parties are calling for her resignation over the matter.
“In light of other information before the House, your Committee wishes to draw attention to what appears to be a possible breach of privilege and recommends that the House consider all relevant documents and ministerial and other statements and take such measures as deemed necessary,” the report states, above the name of the committee chair, Conservative MP Dean Allison (Niagara West-Glanbrook, Ont.).
The Conservative minority report says “no evidence” came before the committee that demonstrates Ms. Oda misled MPs.
The Commons must now deal with the report as it would any other committee report by debating it and voting on it, with opposition MPs at some point likely moving motions to propose actions, which could include a formal censure of Ms. Oda.
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