International Development Minister Bev Oda has reimbursed taxpayers for the extra money she cost them by upgrading from a five-star hotel to an even fancier one while attending a conference in London, England last year.
The Canadian Press reported Monday that Oda turned her nose up at her original $287-a-night reservation last June at the posh Grange St. Paul’s Hotel, which was hosting a donors conference on international immunization that she and notables such as Microsoft chairman Bill Gates were attending.
There, according to the hotel website, the conference tables are adorned with silver candelabras, the plush white bathrobes are monogrammed, the spa includes a traditional Turkish bath and the windows overlook the gorgeous St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Not good enough, apparently, for the Canadian minister responsible for delivering humanitarian aid to the poorest countries in the world through the Canadian International Development Agency, which the federal budget announced last month showed will undergo $319 million in spending cuts by 2014-15.
Oda had her staff rebook her into the Savoy, an even more luxurious hotel ($665 a night) overlooking the Thames that has hosted such stars as Frank Sinatra, Claude Monet, Charlie Chaplin and royalty.
Switching from the Grange to the Savoy cost taxpayers an additional $1,134 for the three nights, plus an additional $287 because the government lost its one-night deposit at the hotel she rejected.
Oda also expensed a $16 glass of orange juice from the Savoy.
“The minister preferred not to stay at the Grange St. Paul’s upon our arrival there and we had to pay,” says a note on an expense sheet obtained by The Canadian Press.
A chauffeur also drove Oda around the city in a luxury car, including to and from the Savoy to the site of the conference at the less expensive hotel, which cost the government $2,850 over three days.
Ten months later — after the story broke and caused uproar — Oda paid some of the money back.
“The minister personally paid the portion of the expenses in question,” her press secretary, Justin Broekema, wrote in an email on Monday afternoon after noting that the expenses were repaid in compliance with Treasury Board guidelines. “The repayment occurred this morning, and covered the difference in cost between the two hotels, and the cancellation fee.”
Broekema later added that Oda also shelled out for the orange juice.
Nothing was said about the car and driver.
New Democrat Leader Thomas Mulcair noted Oda repaid the money only after her expense claims became public.
“There doesn’t seem to have been any sincerity in the reparation effort,” Mulcair told reporters Monday following question period in the Commons, where Oda was absent. “It seems to be more damage control than an honest application of the rules.”
Mulcair also noted Oda has been in trouble for lavish spending before, sparking criticism from the opposition for charging taxpayers with thousands of dollars in limousine rides in both 2006 and 2007.
Liberal MP and ethics critic Scott Andrews suggested during question period that Oda switched rooms because she could not get a smoking room at the original hotel.
Neither of the two London hotels would comment on the particulars of Oda’s reservations on Monday, but employees at both establishments told the Star that smoking rooms are available upon request.
Broekema did not answer questions about why Oda switched hotels.
Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Joanna Smith
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