BBC News reported: "Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's top aide has resigned over his role in a growing expenses scandal. Nigel Wright quit after revelations he had secretly given a senator a C$90,000 (£58,000; $87,000) cheque to help repay improperly claimed housing expenses. The conservative prime minister said he had accepted the resignation of his chief of staff 'with great regret.'"
Interestingly, the BBC's short news story included some important information often left out of media reports on Nigel Wright: "Nigel Wright is a managing director of a major Canadian private equity firm who has been on secondment to the prime minister's office since 2011."
Bloomberg Business Week also picked up the story: "An expenses controversy has dogged Harper’s ruling Conservative Party in recent months by implicating his lawmakers in the Senate, an unelected body whose members are appointed by the prime minister. By claiming Wright, the scandal has moved closer to Harper than any since he took power in 2006, said Nik Nanos, an Ottawa-based pollster."
The story even made it to the news ticker on the big screen in New York City's Times Square (a phote of the headline was captured and shared by Twitter user @carlena).
It's worth remembering that as recently as Friday, the Prime Minister's Office was expressing "full confidence" in Nigel Wright and saying he would stay on as Chief-of-Staff. Perhaps someone thought the long weekend would make this story go away. Instead, it's gone global.
Tuesday will be an interesting day on Parliament Hill.
Original Article
Source: rabble.ca
Author: rabble staff
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