National Newswatch

PM’s former legal adviser arranged deal for Wright to give Duffy $90K

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s former special counsel and legal advisor worked on the legal deal between Nigel Wright and Sen. Mike Duffy’s lawyer that called for Wright to help Duffy pay off $90,000 in invalid expense claims, CTV News has learned.

More Tory Senators add their voices to call for change

With the deepening of the Senate’s multi-front expense scandal, several senators are speaking about the need for change in the red chamber.

Making a buck off the “Duff”

Lloyd Kerry’s “Stuff the Duff” t-shirt design speaks for itself. And in Kerry’s opinion, it speaks for many other Islanders and Canadians as well.

Harper to tackle Senate crisis with unusual open speech to Tory caucus

Stephen Harper will confront the Senate expenses imbroglio head-on in an unusual open speech to his caucus, trying to calm public outrage by confirming his commitment to reform the Red Chamber.

Appointees to EI boards broke guidelines by making political donations

Dozens of people appointed to plum patronage jobs have been donating to the Conservative party, despite government rules that forbid it.

PM’s Western supporters are not amused about Senate expense scandal

The Senate expense scandals sweeping Ottawa have met a particularly poor reception in the Conservative government’s Western heartland, where calls are now emerging for the resignation – and criminal prosecution – of several senators.

Senator Duffy tells media to ‘stay tuned’

Senator Mike Duffy arrived back in Ottawa Monday afternoon amid questions about his future in the Red Chamber.

Federal government doing business with companies once involved in bid-rigging

The Canadian government still does business with companies that were involved in criminal bid-rigging schemes.

Harper leaves behind political storm in Ottawa, heads south for trade talks

The prime minister is jetting out of Ottawa today, leaving behind one of the worst political storms ever faced by his Conservative government, to contemplate a trade alliance membership in South America that many consider unnecessary.

Bureaucrats on hot seat over rigged relocation contracts

Public Works officials will be on the hot seat Tuesday when MPs ask them to explain steps taken to fix a multi-million-dollar deal that was repeatedly rigged by bureaucrats over a decade to favour a supplier, actions that could cost taxpayers $40 million…

ACOA hire raised queries

Email glitch played key role in revealing how connected group twisted hiring practices. On Oct. 27, 2010, a human resources employee with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency wrote what seemed like an innocuously titled email to her boss.

Crockatt says ‘ethical’ tweet was misunderstood

Calgary-Centre MP Joan Crockatt said Monday afternoon that her tweet lauding the Conservative Party’s ethics in the aftermath of the Senate expense scandal was “misunderstood.”

NDP at a loss to explain leader’s contradictions, silence about bribe attempt

New Democrats tried to deflect questions about leader Thomas Mulcair’s ethics Monday amid apparent contradictory statements he made about an alleged attempt to bribe him in 1994.

Harper explores new Latin American trade bloc

The prime minister heads to South America this week to suss out membership in a new trading bloc many aren’t sure Canada ought to join. The Pacific Alliance was formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru in 2011 and Canada took a spot…

Harper government had to know $90,000 payment to senator crossed all sorts of ethical red lines

Andrew Coyne — Section 17 (1) of the Senate Conflict of Interest code states: “Neither a Senator, nor a family member, shall accept … any gift or other benefit, except compensation authorized by law, that could reasonably be considered to relate to the Senator’s position.”

Things fall apart in the Harper PMO

Michael Harris — Amateur astronomers were afforded a rare sight over the weekend in the skies over Ottawa: the explosion of the Harper Universe. It all started with Senator Mike Duffy performing his Hindenburg imitation, crashing and burning over false Senate expenses…

For Harper’s Tories, back to basics on ethics

David Akin — “People who work hard, pay their taxes, and play by the rules want accountability from their political leaders. We don’t expect politicians to be perfect. But we do want to know that our tax dollars – money we’ve worked for – are being spent properly and wisely.

The integrity issue is reaching critical mass

Lawrence Martin — There’s some who still hold to the line. Ethical abuses? No big deal. The people don’t care. It won’t hurt the Harper Conservatives much. These people should try telling the Liberals that they weren’t damaged by the sponsorship scandal or Brian Mulroney…

Harper Tories evoking laughter and anger

Geoffrey Stevens — “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.” — Retired House of Commons law clerk Rob Walsh, on the Mike Duffy/Nigel Wright Senate expenses uproar, CBC-TV, May 17. Politicians don’t like it when people get really mad at them. Anger creates political damage.

Harper in Colombia to discuss trade expansion with Pacific Alliance

Carlo Dade — This week’s trip by the Prime Minister and Trade Minister to Colombia for the Pacific Alliance Summit is more than just another trip south; it is shaping up to be the most critical test of the country and government’s seriousness and ability to diversify Canadian trade away…

Duffy Affair shows Harper Conservatives appear to have forgotten their values

John Ivison — Stephen Harper will be in mid-air to Peru when NDP leader, Thomas Mulcair, rises in the House of Commons to grill the Conservative government on the Duffy Affair Tuesday. But whichever minister is drafted in to defend the indefensible, the Prime Minister…

Political opportunity knocks to abolish Senate

Sid Green — “For every thing there is a season” Ecclesiastes 3:1 The time has come. Most Canadians must now agree that the democratic anomaly of an unelected government-appointed Senate has finally served its non-purpose and should be abolished.

Mulcair’s best-kept secret

Ezra Levant — Opposition leader could have blown the whistle on Laval mayor, but didn’t. Why? Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the NDP, says that in 1994 he was offered a bribe by the mayor of Laval, Que., Gilles Vaillancourt. He says he didn’t accept it.

Kinsella: Are political polls irrelevant?

Warren Kinsella — After the B.C. fiasco, Canada’s polling industry is — once again — engaged in a painful existential debate about what they do and how they do it. Because, make no mistake, they were dramatically mistaken about last Tuesday’s…

Adams: Bad news, good news: social media and the public

Paul Adams — The other day I got an email from a friend in the news division of a major American television network, asking me what I thought of an article rehearsing the many defects of today’s media.

Bob Rae: Patriating the Constitution and the Charter

Bob Rae — The recent flurry about patriating the Canadian constitution has brought back a flood of memories, and some reflections. Pierre Trudeau, Frank Scott and Bora Laskin were friends in the 1950s and ’60s, all three law professors and advocates of the need for a bill of rights…

Toronto Star: Stephen Harper should appoint a pro to head Canada’s library and archives

Toronto Star — As the head of Library and Archives Canada, a seemingly sleepy position, Daniel Caron was remarkably controversial. He stepped down Wednesday after being castigated by Heritage Minister James Moore for spending $4,500 of federal funds on Spanish lessons.