UPDATED - So long, soon-to-be former International Cooperation Minister and MP for Durham Bev Oda

Today, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda announced that she advised the Prime Minister two weeks ago that she will be stepping down as the Member of Parliament for the federal riding of Durham effective on July 31, 2012. 

 First elected in 2004, Beverley Oda was named as the official opposition critic for Canadian Heritage. In 2006, she was named as the Minister for Canadian Heritage in the newly elected Conservative government. She was then named as the Minister for International Cooperation in 2007. Minister Oda is the longest serving Minister responsible for CIDA, the Canadian government's agency responsible for its international aid and development efforts. 

 "For over eight years, it has been an honor and privilege to have served the constituents in Clarington, Scugog and Uxbridge. As the Minister for International Cooperation, I have had the opportunity to witness the hardships of the worlds most vulnerable peoples and have witnessed the great compassion of Canadians for those in need," said Bev Oda. "I am grateful for the support of my staff and colleagues in the House of Commons and Senate. I wish to express my appreciation to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet for their outstanding leadership."

UPDATE: The PMO response, which, it bears noting, refers not once but twice to her departure from Parliament, thus seemingly squelching, at least for the moment, speculation that her exit from the House of Commons may be due to a pending upgrade to the Upper House: 

"On behalf of the government, I would like to thank Bev Oda for her hard work and dedication in representing the constituents of Durham, and for her many accomplishments in the ministry. Bev advised me two weeks ago that she had made the decision to stand down as the Member of Parliament for Durham. 

"Bev has made a significant contribution to her riding, her province and her country since her election to Parliament in 2004. 

"Under Bev's guidance, Canada has led a significant initiative to save the lives of mothers, children and newborns in the developing world. Bev has also promoted accountability and effectiveness for Canada's aid programs and has championed high-profile efforts to respond to humanitarian tragedies in Haiti, Pakistan and the Horn of Africa. Through Bev's leadership, Canada has also met, ahead of schedule, its commitment to double aid to Africa. This is a record of which to be proud. 

"On behalf of, and together with her friends and colleagues, Laureen and I offer our best wishes to Bev as she leaves Parliament to move on to other challenges and opportunities."

UPDATE: New Democrat ethics critics Charlie Angus and Alexandre Boulerice dismiss Oda's decision to step down as "too little, too late": 

Minister Bev Oda has resigned from the Conservative Cabinet after years of ethics scandals and wasteful spending. In response, New Democrats are pointing to the many questions left unanswered and asserting that this does nothing to restore accountability to Stephen Harper's Cabinet. 

"Although Bev Oda has done the right thing, Canadians are still outraged that Stephen Harper allowed and defended years of this unethical behavior" said NDP Ethics Critic Charlie Angus. "We all know the stories of the swanky hotels and sipping overpriced orange juice. The buck stops with the Prime Minister. Why did he allow this to go on for so long and why is she only now resigning?" 

From the tampering of documents in the Kairos scandal, to spending thousands of taxpayer's dollars on limousines, hotel upgrades and perks, Oda is no stranger to scandal. However, Deputy Ethics Critic Alexandre Boulerice pointed out that she is certainly not alone in the Conservative Cabinet to suffer from questionable ethics and lapses in accountability. 

"If Stephen Harper thinks a single resignation or a cabinet shuffle will make his ethics problems go away, he is sorely mistaken," warned Boulerice. "The Conservatives were elected on a white horse of accountability but since taking office they have become precisely what they used to criticize."

Meanwhile, after crunching the numbers, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation determines that Oda will be eligible for a pension of $52,183 per year, and provides a convenient currency conversion: "By our calculations, that should buy about 43,841 glasses of orange juice."