Senate expense scandal: Mike Duffy appealed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper about his living expenses

OTTAWA—Sen. Mike Duffy made a personal appeal to Prime Minister Stephen Harper about whether he would have to repay improperly claimed living expenses, the Star has learned.

Harper alluded to their conversation Tuesday in the Commons when he said the embattled senator sought “clarification” during a caucus meeting.

“My views were known to the entire caucus. Mr. Duffy approached me to seek some clarification. I was very adamant that any inappropriate expenses should be repaid,” Harper told MPs.

However, Harper didn’t specify Tuesday what sort of clarification Duffy — then under fire for his living expenses — was seeking.

However, the Star has learned that Duffy, who was a member of the Conservative caucus at the time, pitched his case to Harper directly. But he got no sympathy from the prime minister who told Duffy that any improperly claimed cash had to be returned.

On Tuesday, opposition MPs again took aim at how Duffy repaid the $90,172 he owed — thanks to a cheque from Nigel Wright, Harper’s chief of staff.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau sought to get an answer to a question that has vexed many: why Wright, a former Bay St. financier, dipped into his personal wealth to bail out Duffy.

“One does not simply offer $90,000 cheques for no reason,” Trudeau said.

“Can the prime minister confirm whether the $90,000 cheque had anything to do with Mike Duffy’s role as one of the chief fundraisers for the Conservative Party of Canada.”

Harper said Wright “wanted to be sure that taxpayers were reimbursed.

“He will be accountable for those matters,” Harper said.

He repeated his line that Wright cut the personal cheque “on his own without informing us.”

Wright has since quit the prime minister’s office, prompting NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair to question whether his severance package would total more than $90,000.

Harper said the severance would be “less.”

“Any suggestion that Mr. Wright is being compensated by taxpayers, directly or indirectly for his cheque to Mr. Duffy is absolutely and categorically false,” Harper said.

In the Senate Tuesday, the Conservatives introduced a motion to ask the auditor general to conduct a comprehensive audit of expenses — including those filed by senators themselves.

The request comes as the Senate grapples with a controversy over living and travel expenses involving four senators, including Duffy and Sen. Pamela Wallin, who have resigned from the Conservative caucus.

“Giving this great thought, listening to the Canadian public, we felt that the Senate itself was probably not the best venue of investigating itself,” Sen. Marjory LeBreton, the Government Leader in the Senate, told reporters.

A June 2012 report by auditor general Michael Ferguson recommended the administration flag any Senate expense claims that are not supported by adequate documentation to the internal economy committee.

“Clearly that didn’t happen,” LeBreton said Tuesday.

Liberal Senate Leader James Cowan, whose party voted against adopting the motion unanimously Tuesday, said he was not opposed to the idea of a comprehensive audit but believes the Conservatives are trying to divert attention from Wright’s cheque to Duffy.

“The auditor general isn’t going to get to the bottom of that, whether the auditor general is looking at the House of Commons or looking at the Senate,” Cowan told reporters Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Lyse Ricard, the Senate ethics officer, told the Senate conflict of interest committee Tuesday she is suspending her review of the Duffy matter now that it has been referred to the RCMP.

Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author:  Bruce Campion-Smith, Joanna Smith