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Even in quitting, Bev Oda will keep costing taxpayers money

Bev Oda, the minister of international cooperation, announced her resignation from politics Tuesday through a statement on her website.

While the 67-year-old from Durham Ontario was, at times, an effective cabinet minister, she got tripped up by headlines throughout her career for her champagne spending habits.

In 2006, she was forced to pay taxpayers $2,200 for incurring $5,500 in limousine expenses at the Juno awards in Halifax. In 2008, she was accused of hiding a further $17,000 in limo expenses.

And most recently, she became the centre of public scrutiny for her expensive tastes while at a conference in London which included a $16 glass of orange juice.

Unfortunately, despite her resignation, Oda will continue to be a burden to Canadian taxpayers for many years to come.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) estimates that Oda's annual Parliamentary pension will instantly start at $52,183, adding up to $701,464 by the time she reaches the age of 80.

"Bev Oda's lifetime pension should cover about 43,841 glasses of $16 orange juice," notes a CTF statement.

"It's wrong that she can collect $52,183 in annual pension benefits after only eight years on the job especially when the average new Canada Pension Plan monthly payment in 2012 is $534.10."

Oda's sudden resignation will also force taxpayers to fund a $500,000 by-election in Durham.

In a proverbial slap to all of our faces, Oda is blatantly reneging on a commitment she made to her constituents by placing her name on the 2011 federal election ballot asking Durham voters to elect her for a full term in parliament.

A little more than a year later, she's jumping ship, and now expects taxpayers to foot the bill.

A more appropriate move for Oda would have been to step down from cabinet and continue serving her constituents in Durham — as she had promised.

But , alas, as history has shown us, Oda was never really been mindful of taxpayer dollars.