Surprise, surprise, another crooked politician.
This time its Federal Heritage Minister Bev Oda, who is also Canada’s copyright minister. Oda, it turns out, has been taking money from the very entertainment companies she is supposed to be keeping an eye on.
Oda financed her campaign with giant, unseemly donations from the entertainment and pharmaceutical companies — many of them US-based — and was then embarrassed when it was revealed that she planned a $250/plate fundraiser, while in office, just two weeks before a major review of Canada’s broadcasters.
How about that. Oda apparently agreed to return the cheques, but it turns out she lied and kept the money. Contributors included a who’s who list of Canadian media big shots, including Rogers Radio CEO Gary Miles, Standard Radio CEO Gary Slaight, CHUM CEO Jay Switzer, and TVO CEO Lisa De Wilde.
Oda is planning to introduce a Canadian version of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which will certainly be of tremendous benefit to those in Canadian entertainment big business — including those contributors just mentioned.
Just a slight conflict of interest…
This isn’t the first time Oda has run afoul of public criticism for questionable financial dealings. Oda also tried to bill taxpayers almost $5,500 for limousines to cart her and her entourage to the Juno Awards last year. After being exposed in the media, Oda quietly paid back about half of that amount.
Oda’s own website states she wants to “restore accountability in our federal government”, which based on her actions must mean she either wants to restore accountability to the rest of the federal government, or it just means she will be accountable only for as long as anyone is watching her.
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