Ottawa

The Senate’s investigation of Mike Duffy is like a game of Clue

The first draft is leaked and fingers are pointed

While the Canadian Press and the Globe compare how the Senate report on Mike Duffy was edited—the Citizen posted the original report this afternoon—Global says it was Conservative Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen, Stephen Harper’s former press secretary, who moved the motion at the internal economy committee to make the revisions. CTV and the CBC say Stewart Olsen and Senator David Tkachuk, the chair of the committee, were involved.

Liberal Senate leader James Cowan, meanwhile, has written to the internal economy committee to ask that its meetings on Mike Duffy be held in public.

Yesterday, the Senate referred back to your Committee your twenty-second report (Examination of Senator Duffy’s Primary and Secondary Residence Status) so that it can be reconsidered in view of recent public allegations of double-billing and other questionable living expense claims by Senator Duffy.

In view of the widespread media stories questioning whether the proceedings of the committee on the original report were conducted in an impartial and independent manner, I request that you proceed with the reconsideration of the report in public.

In order to regain the public’s trust, Canadians need to be reassured that this crisis will be dealt with fairly, impartially and comprehensively, and that can only be achieved by ensuring that all future meetings on this matter are held in public.

In other news, the Star reports that Mr. Duffy seems to have claimed Senate expenses during a week when the Senate wasn’t sitting.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.