Sen. Mike Duffy unleashed another bombshell in the Senate Monday, telling the upper chamber that the Conservatives not only paid him more than $90,000 for his disputed expenses, but that they also covered his associated legal fees. Duffy alleged he received $13,560 to cover his legal fees from the Conservative Party through party lawyer Arthur Hamilton. "The PMO had the Conservative Party's lawyer, Arthur Hamilton, pay my legal fees," Duffy said in an impassioned speech. ... Duffy also claimed Monday that he "never saw a cheque from Nigel Wright.? The Prime Minister?s Office has repeatedly said that Wright, Stephen Harper?s former chief of staff, acted alone in deciding to write a $90,000 cheque to Duffy to help him repay housing expenses deemed inappropriate by an outside audit earlier this year. "But I do have a cheque stub from Arthur Hamilton, the Conservative Party lawyer," said Duffy, referencing the $13,000 payment.
"The links to the $90,000 payment and now the further $13,000 payment from the party lawyer to my lawyers show that this monstrous fraud was PMO's creation from start to finish," he claimed.
�We don�t support any Senate appointments.� (Stephen Harper, Winnipeg Free Press, January 29, 1996)
�Despite the fine work of many individual Senators, the Upper House remains a dumping ground for the favoured cronies of the Prime Minister.� (Stephen Harper Leadership Website, January 15, 2004)
�In the 21st century, those who want to sit in the parliament of a democratic state should have a mandate from the people.� (Stephen Harper, February 7, 2006)
�A conservative government will not appoint to the senate anyone who does not have a mandate from the people.� (Conservative Party website during 2006 election)
�As everyone in this room knows, it has become a right of passage for aspiring leaders and prime ministers to promise Senate reform � on their way to the top � but once they are elected, Senate reform quickly falls to the bottom of the Government�s agenda. Nothing ever gets done.� (Stephen Harper, Speech on Senate Reform before Senate Committee, September 7, 2006)
�I don�t plan to appoint senators; that�s not my intention.� (Stephen Harper, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, January 14, 2006)
�Stephen Harper will cease patronage appointments to the Senate. Only candidates elected by the people will be named to the Upper House.� (Stephen Harper Leadership Website, January 15, 2004)
�I challenge Mr. Martin, once he becomes Prime Minister, to turn a page on the past, and appoint only elected Senators to the Upper House.� (Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance Press Release, July 4, 2003)
�Canadians from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia remain ashamed of Canada`s senior legislative body. They are ashamed the Prime Minister continues the disgraceful, undemocratic appointment of undemocratic Liberals to the undemocratic Senate to pass all too often undemocratic legislation.� (Stephen Harper, Hansard, March 7, 1996)
�They have no moral compass. They talk a great game about integrity. But in my experience they demonstrate every day they don�t understand the meaning of the phrase: �The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.� �
I've said that since day 1, when Harper became PM in 2006. I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
One of the documents tabled by Duffy was an email from Wright dated Dec. 4, 2012 -- the same day news of Duffy�s housing claims first came to light.
In it, Wright states: �I am told that you have complied with all the applicable rules and that there would be several Senators with similar arrangements. I think that the Standing Committee might review those rules.�
That just makes me more sure it's a scam from within the PMO. Why would his expenses be OK one week, but the PMO decides he broke some rules the next?
And the bigger question - why is the PMO involved in the Senate at all? I've read the constitution, and I don't recall anything in there where the Senate has to take marching orders from the PMO at all. That's the whole point of the Senate - indepencence.
I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Funny. I though the same thing ... and that Duffy and Wallin are plants to help make it happen. Something seems to be going wrong, though.
"DrCaleb" said I've said that since day 1, when Harper became PM in 2006. I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Harper wouldn't have needed this. Canadians have been saying to abolish/reform the Senate for decades. It's a useless organization that does not perform the role it was mandated.
Needless to say Duffy is ensuring that he has no friends when he's finally turfed from the Senate. Scorched earth might be a viable policy in war put it doesn't work in your day-to-day life.
I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Funny. I though the same thing ... and that Duffy and Wallin are plants to help make it happen. Something seems to be going wrong, though.
As with any well thought out intelligence event; if you burn your agents, be sure they don't possess documents that can burn you back.
Sad part is, next week in Calgary at the PC convention, all will be forgiven and people will ignore that their donations to the party financed all this BS and Harper will get an overwhelming vote of support.
"QBall" said I've said that since day 1, when Harper became PM in 2006. I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Harper wouldn't have needed this. Canadians have been saying to abolish/reform the Senate for decades. It's a useless organization that does not perform the role it was mandated.
Because that is what they have been told to think. I too believe it needs reformation, but it's far from useless because I've actually done some looking into it.
I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Funny. I though the same thing ... and that Duffy and Wallin are plants to help make it happen. Something seems to be going wrong, though.
Me too. Also shows glaring entitlement, as Fatso has yet to acknowledge he's done anything wrong.
"DrCaleb" said Sad part is, next week in Calgary at the PC convention, all will be forgiven and people will ignore that their donations to the party financed all this BS and Harper will get an overwhelming vote of support.
I wonder...
This is the kind of scandal tailor made to piss-off the base. tax-payer money being wasted/stolen by Ottawa fatcats. Politicians of every stripe covering each other's asses.
I don't doubt that he'll still have a lot of support, people will forgive a lot as long as they can stay in power but I'm pretty sure Harper will have a lot of uncomfortable moments of camera as he tries to answer for this mess.
as fast as stuffy produced documents, the others were producing their own to counter his. Just goes to show that the Libs aren`t the only ones who are good with knives
4. Did the PMO coach Duffy on how to explain the source of the $90,000?
Duffy claimed that the PMO, anticipating that the media would ask where he got the $90,000 to pay his expenses back, concocted an explanation. He said when the PMO heard he had been using a line of credit to renovate his home in Cavendish, P.E.I., they suggested he go to the Royal Bank of Canada and borrow the cash to pay off that line of credit.
He alleged the PMO said that he could then tell the media that he took out a loan at the Royal Bank to pay the $90,000.
"Well, that's technically correct, we took out a loan, but that loan wasn't to repay money, the $90,000 that the PMO agreed I didn't owe," Duffy told the Senate. "That line was written by the PMO to deceive Canadians as to the real source of the $90,000."
Duffy alleged he received $13,560 to cover his legal fees from the Conservative Party through party lawyer Arthur Hamilton.
"The PMO had the Conservative Party's lawyer, Arthur Hamilton, pay my legal fees," Duffy said in an impassioned speech.
...
Duffy also claimed Monday that he "never saw a cheque from Nigel Wright.?
The Prime Minister?s Office has repeatedly said that Wright, Stephen Harper?s former chief of staff, acted alone in deciding to write a $90,000 cheque to Duffy to help him repay housing expenses deemed inappropriate by an outside audit earlier this year.
"But I do have a cheque stub from Arthur Hamilton, the Conservative Party lawyer," said Duffy, referencing the $13,000 payment.
"The links to the $90,000 payment and now the further $13,000 payment from the party lawyer to my lawyers show that this monstrous fraud was PMO's creation from start to finish," he claimed.
(Stephen Harper, Winnipeg Free Press, January 29, 1996)
(Stephen Harper Leadership Website, January 15, 2004)
(Stephen Harper, February 7, 2006)
(Conservative Party website during 2006 election)
(Stephen Harper, Speech on Senate Reform before Senate Committee, September 7, 2006)
(Stephen Harper, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, January 14, 2006)
(Stephen Harper Leadership Website, January 15, 2004)
(Stephen Harper, Canadian Alliance Press Release, July 4, 2003)
(Stephen Harper, Hansard, March 7, 1996)
�They have no moral compass. They talk a great game about integrity. But in my experience they demonstrate every day they don�t understand the meaning of the phrase: �The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.� �
I've said that since day 1, when Harper became PM in 2006. I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
One of the documents tabled by Duffy was an email from Wright dated Dec. 4, 2012 -- the same day news of Duffy�s housing claims first came to light.
In it, Wright states: �I am told that you have complied with all the applicable rules and that there would be several Senators with similar arrangements. I think that the Standing Committee might review those rules.�
That just makes me more sure it's a scam from within the PMO. Why would his expenses be OK one week, but the PMO decides he broke some rules the next?
And the bigger question - why is the PMO involved in the Senate at all? I've read the constitution, and I don't recall anything in there where the Senate has to take marching orders from the PMO at all. That's the whole point of the Senate - indepencence.
I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Funny. I though the same thing ... and that Duffy and Wallin are plants to help make it happen. Something seems to be going wrong, though.
I've said that since day 1, when Harper became PM in 2006. I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Harper wouldn't have needed this. Canadians have been saying to abolish/reform the Senate for decades. It's a useless organization that does not perform the role it was mandated.
I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Funny. I though the same thing ... and that Duffy and Wallin are plants to help make it happen. Something seems to be going wrong, though.
As with any well thought out intelligence event; if you burn your agents, be sure they don't possess documents that can burn you back.
Sad part is, next week in Calgary at the PC convention, all will be forgiven and people will ignore that their donations to the party financed all this BS and Harper will get an overwhelming vote of support.
I've said that since day 1, when Harper became PM in 2006. I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Harper wouldn't have needed this. Canadians have been saying to abolish/reform the Senate for decades. It's a useless organization that does not perform the role it was mandated.
Because that is what they have been told to think. I too believe it needs reformation, but it's far from useless because I've actually done some looking into it.
I've said too that this whole scandal was designed by the PMO to discredit the Senate and give the PM the people's backing to abolish it, giving more power to the PM.
Funny. I though the same thing ... and that Duffy and Wallin are plants to help make it happen. Something seems to be going wrong, though.
Me too.
Also shows glaring entitlement, as Fatso has yet to acknowledge he's done anything wrong.
Sad part is, next week in Calgary at the PC convention, all will be forgiven and people will ignore that their donations to the party financed all this BS and Harper will get an overwhelming vote of support.
I wonder...
This is the kind of scandal tailor made to piss-off the base. tax-payer money being wasted/stolen by Ottawa fatcats. Politicians of every stripe covering each other's asses.
I don't doubt that he'll still have a lot of support, people will forgive a lot as long as they can stay in power but I'm pretty sure Harper will have a lot of uncomfortable moments of camera as he tries to answer for this mess.
Duffy claimed that the PMO, anticipating that the media would ask where he got the $90,000 to pay his expenses back, concocted an explanation. He said when the PMO heard he had been using a line of credit to renovate his home in Cavendish, P.E.I., they suggested he go to the Royal Bank of Canada and borrow the cash to pay off that line of credit.
He alleged the PMO said that he could then tell the media that he took out a loan at the Royal Bank to pay the $90,000.
"Well, that's technically correct, we took out a loan, but that loan wasn't to repay money, the $90,000 that the PMO agreed I didn't owe," Duffy told the Senate. "That line was written by the PMO to deceive Canadians as to the real source of the $90,000."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senator ... -1.2255246
Harper's a commander-in-chief wannabee. If this were the USA or Russia, Duffy'd be dead.
The headline would be 'heart attack while in a brothel frequented by she-male midget hookers'.