In Other News

Stephen Harper must have been loving the last couple of weeks. While Rob Ford has been stealing the headlines, the Canadian media hasn't been focused on the federal government's scandal.

Let me remind you. I'm going to go back a bit, as a refresher.

1. Stephen Harper appointed two well-known media bigwigs, Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy, to the senate. He did so, placing them in ridings in which they did not live, ignoring the rules, because they drew a great deal of support (translation: money) for the Conservatives. Duffy might have had a cottage on PEI and Wallin originally came from Saskatchewan and apparently owned property there: close enough.
2. Both Wallin and Duffy claimed their respective riding dwellings as their primary place of residence, knowing full well that it wasn't, and claimed travel expenses. These educated senators, working in the chamber of sober second thought, claimed, when it was discovered that these residences weren't their primary places of residences, that the paperwork was confusing.
   That point is still laughable.
3. When news came to light of Wallin's and Duffy's inappropriate spending, Harper stood up in Parliament and said that he had personally looked at their expenses, and that there was nothing wrong. These where "honourable" senators.
4. When Wallin and Duffy said they would pay the money back, Harper still defended them. Never mind that the inappropriate spending was fraud against the Canadian taxpayers.
5. When news broke that Duffy had his expenses paid by Harpers Chief of Staff, Nigel Wright, Harper defended Wright as an honourable man. Wright resigned, and Harper accepted the resignation. The RCMP started investivating.
6. As the senate considered censuring Wallin and Duffy, Duffy produced e-mail messages, declaring that Harper was implicated in the payoff with Wright. Harper denies the allegations. He also changes his story, saying that Wright did not resign: Harper fired him. Harper also turns his back on Duffy, saying that he had abused his office, had misspent Canadian taxpayer dollars, and deserved to be kicked out of the senate.
7. The RCMP yesterday stated that Wright broke the law in cutting the cheque to Duffy. Harper still denies knowledge of the affair (this, coming from Mr. Micromanager).

Are we all caught up?