Opposition Determined to Keep Oda in Spotlight

With Parliament on a break week, the Liberals have planned press conferences targeting what they call the Conservatives’ culture of “secrecy and deceit.”

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff appears to have latched on to an issue he thinks will resonate with voters during the next election. Taking the Bev Oda affair as a jumping-off point, the Liberals will hold press conferences this week to outline “the litany of ways Harper has undermined democracy in Canada,” and have released this Youtube video calling for Oda’s resignation. The opposition claims she doctored documents to misrepresent the recommendations of senior bureaucrats and then lied about it to Parliament, but with Parliament on a break until next week the story risks losing momentum unless the Liberals help it along. When Parliament reconvenes, Commons Speaker Peter Milliken is expected to rule on whether Oda breached parliamentary privilege.