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tfUrhamrcnion.com THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ JANUARY 25,2006 ♦ PAGE 3 il,.-' Oda reflects on looks to es ahead STATESMAN -- Are you surprised by (the) results? They were a little different different from what some of the pollsters were saying ... Do you think the mandate your government's been given is enough to govern strongly? ODA: Well, I think the thing is, the clearer the mandate, the easier it is to accomplish what you want. We've had experience with a minority government. We believe that what we would put forward as legislation will be good for all Canadians Canadians and therefore will garner the support necessary to put it through. We intend to act and to accomplish a lot and so consequently I am confident. confident. We won't play the same games by not tabling legislation for weeks on end. There will be allot for all of us to do in order to do that. Our intent is not to slow down the work of government, government, but to get to positive action as quickly as possible. possible. ■ STATESMAN: (Durham MPP) John O'Toole (in his congratulatory speech) raised the idea of a cabinet posting. There's been a lot of talk about you potentially potentially having a role in the cabinet. cabinet. What's your feeling on that, and if you could pick a post, what would it be?, ODA: (Giggles) I wouldn't even suppose to have gone that far."! "think T was very ; honoured,lhat.thedeader had, confidence in me to give me a critics' position. (Ms. Oda was! heritage critic in the last, sitting of Parliament.) It certainly was in an area that I've worked with for 25 years. It, took my broadcasting broadcasting plus my passion for the arts and enabled me to work at that level in those fields. I think Mr. Harper is going to put together the best team he can and consequently, consequently, I would say, just to be able to put all my time into working for Durham is the "most important thing to do, and whatever role that I am asked, to do, I certainly look forward to being part of. the team; STATESMAN: Are you at all concerned, given the minority situation, that we're going to be back into tiiis (another election) another 17, months from now? - ODA: I'm not concerned. I think we do what we have to do, in the best interests of Canadians. The situation, I would surmise, is going to mean that there may be some changes in the Liberal party, that they may want some time to regroup, and consequently, consequently, I guess 18 months from now might make it a spring or summer election, so that'll be different. STATESMAN: What do you; think the first piece ofilfegislation your government government will work to enact wi)l be? 1 .. ODA: I think clearly Mr. Harper has said the first piece of legislation is the accountability act ... 1 think wit have to reinstate the Bev Oda Durham MP integrity and accountability accountability in government to start restoring people's faith in politicians. STATESMAN: Now that you've had a chance to look at some of the numbers numbers nationally, what do you think of the situation? ODA: I think clearly that people wanted a change. It's going to be v an interesting minority situation. I think for most people, people will see that we will act on the things we said we wanted to. It gives us an opportunity to build greater support and get a stronger mandate next time. STATESMAN: What are your plans over the next 1-2 months? ODÀ: Immediately after the election, we will need to ensure that my appreciation for the local volunteers and supporters goes out right away. We'll need to clean up and store records - we'll probably have three days to clear out the offices. We've kept our constituency constituency offices open and do the necessary work, but there have been things that I haven't been able to deal with as expediently as possible, possible, so I'll want to deal with those as quickly as possible. possible. . Third ;: is a restand, some family time. I still have to deliver some Christmas Christmas presents that didn't get done. I haven't seen a lot of my family (through the campaign.) STATESMAN: What's the No. 1 issue that was raised by citizens? ODA: The predominant No. 1 issue was health care, and keeping health care services services in the area. There were many, many other issues, but consistently, all the way through, it was health care. STATESMAN: What things will you do to regain the trust from citizens? ODA: For me, it's a matter matter of staying the course, staying the person I am, and doing • ' job. But, I am concerne concerne rout the skepticism in pe ,.le I've seen about politicians and government. We've got to demonstrate quickly that we're going to do what we said we were going to do. STATESMAN: What are you going to do differently than other MPs to ensure your constituents' concerns are dealt with? ODA: I don't know how others do it, but I know I will have a stronger mandate, mandate, a stronger voice, and one session under my belt. I have learned the process, and know how the House of Commons works. I will ensure I use that knowledge and experience efficiently. I have the ear of the leader and caucus and no reason to believe I won't be listened to. Witness denies fabricating evidence BY JEFF MITCHELL Staff Writer WHITBY - A convicted killer killer has denied concocting a story about a fateful meeting with a fellow fellow criminal in an attempt to avoid a first-degree murder charge. Ryan Mason, who has already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the slaying of Osha- wa senior Helena Ustupski, has repeatedly denied stealing the woman's purse from her downtown downtown apartment the day before she was stabbed to death. "I didn't touch no purse," Mr. Mason said numerous times while under cross-examination by Darren Darren Sederoff, the lawyer defending defending an Oshawa youth.also charged with second-degree murder in Ms.' Ustupski's death on, May 9, 2004. Mr. Sederoff, who began his questioning of the Crown witness Monday, has accused Mr. Mason of lying when he said a fellow denizen of Oshawa's streets told him of the vulnerable senior. Mr. Mason, who was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 13 years after pleading guilty to the killing last November, has testified testified he was nursing a hangover in a King Street East coffee shop on the morning of May 8,2004, when he spotted a man who owed him money. Mr. Mason said the man, whom he knew only by the street name "Road Dog," handed over a wad of cash and a pill dispenser, claiming to have grabbed them from a fifth-flbor apartment in a nearby seniors' apartment building. building. "He told me what he did and he told me the door was unlocked," Mr. Mason testified. Mr. Mason testified that he recalled the information early the next morning, when he and the youth now on trial were casing homes in Oshawa, looking to pull a break-in to get money for drags. But Mr. Sederoff assailed that testimony, accusing Mr. Mason of having stolen Ms. Ustupski's purse and pills from inside her unlocked apartment May 8. He said Mr. Mason had cooked up the "Road Dog" story to avoid a first-degree murder charge. "You knew if the police knew you went and robbed this lady the day before, it would be a different charge," the lawyer said. "What charge would it be?" "First-degree (murder)," replied Mr. Mason, who admitted he'd looked it up in a Criminal Code book in a prison library. Mr. Sederoff pressed on: "Why don't you come clean?" "I didn't make up no person," Mr. Mason insisted. On Monday Mr. Mason described how the 73-year-old Ms. Ustupski Ustupski put up a fierce fight when she awoke to find the two men looting her darkened apartment, which they had entered through an unlocked door in the early morning hours of May 9, Mother's Day. The woman struggled on even after being bashed over the head with a plastic flower pot, Mr. Mason testified. He said that when the youth handed him a knife from the kitchen kitchen he pushed Ms. Ustupski down and stabbed her. Mr. Mason, who said he'd been high on ecstasy and drinking heavily heavily for several days before the killing, killing, described a surreal experience: "It was like I was taking pictures -- like my mind was taking pictures," he said. "It seemed like everything was going in slow motion." 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