Duck, weave, deflect: Harper's political jiu-jitsu to save campaign from Senate scandals

Stephen Harper ducked, weaved, and deflected his way through a string of tough questions on the Mike Duffy scandal during a campaign stop at a farm just outside Newmarket today.

The prime minister indicated that he still had full confidence in his current chief of staff, Ray Novak, despite allegations that he knew his predecessor, Nigel Wright, would repay $90,000 in expenses on behalf of the former senator, who is currently standing trial.

“There is one person on trial. That person is Mr. Duffy, because Mr. Duffy took taxpayer’s money that I believe right from the outset he should not be taking, and I told him so, and I told him to repay it. He did not repay it, that’s why I had to take action against him. The reason he did not repay it is [because] Mr. Wright decided to pay it for him. Mr. Wright did reimburse the taxpayer, I’ll give him that, but he also acted contrary to my wishes and allowed Mr. Duffy to keep the money, which he has to this day. These are the two people who are responsible. They’ve been held accountable,” said Harper to loud applause.

Soon after Harper threw both Duffy and Wright under the bus once more, York-Simcoe MP Peter Van Loan pointed a finger at the 68 NDP MPs who used taxpayers’ money to pay aides working in the party’s satellite offices, when asked by the Observer whether or not Harper should fire Novak.

Van Loan said that the NDP had yet to repay the money they owed, totaling $2.75 million, but pointed out that taxpayers were reimbursed by Wright for any expenses that Duffy improperly claimed.

“All we have is a Conservative, Nigel Wright, making sure the taxpayer didn’t have to pay,” said Van Loan, who is running for re-election on Oct. 19 and currently serves as the Tories’ Government House Leader in Parliament.

But for many voters, Harper is the “one person” on trial

Harper defended his leadership record regarding the Senate, previously saying that “a large range of senators appointed by a large range of prime ministers,” had experienced trouble similar to Duffy. He said that they were part of an unaccountable institution.

In front of enthusiastic supporters, Harper said that the Conservatives are committed to reining in the Senate, unlike previous governments.

“We have made sure that there are rules and rules are enforced. We have every right to expect better. I have a right to expect better and this party and this country does, and we’ll make sure there is accountability,” said Harper.

However, his promises to lay down the law on Senate corruption are increasingly empty in the eyes of many, as ongoing scandals turn more and more voters off the Tories.

Alongside the Duffy scandal that is implicating more and more staff from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Conservatives have faced allegations that Tory Senator Don Meredith pursued a sexual relationship with a teenage girl that began when she was 16.

The girl involved said that she contacted a Senate ethics officer roughly two months ago offering to help their investigation, but no one has yet gotten back to her.

Meredith is also facing a second Senate probe investigating allegations of workplace harassment.

For Harper, the one-time opposition leader who campaigned on the promise to abolish the Senate, the Duffy and Meredith scandals are hardly the only ones to hit his government.

Senators Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau were also suspended from the upper chamber in 2013 alongside Duffy, all of whom improperly claimed expenses.

A further nine current and former senators are being referred to the RCMP for possible criminal offences, including Harper appointee Pierre Hughes-Boisvenu and Liberal incumbent Colin Kenny. They are joined by retired members Sharon Carstairs, Marie-Paule Charette-Poulin, Rose-Marie Losier-Cool, Bill Rompkey, and Rod Zimmer, all Liberals, together with Mulroney appointees Gerry St. Germain and Don Oliver.

For the last two-and-half years, Harper has not made any new Senate appointments, leaving 22 empty chairs in the 105-seat upper chamber, a move billed by the PM as combating an undemocratic institution.

Nonetheless, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair wasted no time in questioning Harper's leadership abilities, saying that he was responsible for what happened inside the PMO and called on voters to "fire," him on Oct. 19.

Harper remains on offensive as poll numbers slide

As scandals around the Senate and PMO continue to mount, Harper remained bullish in front of his cheering supporters, promising to raise the Adoption Expense Tax Credit to $20,000 from the current $15,000 if the Conservatives are re-elected.

“Our Conservative government believes that there is no higher calling than that of raising a child, and no greater reward,” said Harper. “We have a proven record of helping make life more affordable for Canadian families, particularly when it comes to managing some of the additional costs borne by adoptive parents.”

Despite Harper offering such perks to voters, the latest poll results from Abacus shows the NDP in the lead at 35 per cent as of Aug. 18, while the Tories trail at just 29 per cent, and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals remain stuck in third place with just 26 per cent of those asked choosing the Liberals.

However, 70 per cent of those surveyed by Abacus remain undecided on whom to vote for, giving both the Tories and Grits a chance to edge the NDP out of first place.

It will likely be an open playing field for all three parties until the very end, as 35 per cent of those surveyed say they will not decide who to vote for until the final weekend before Oct 19, while 19 per cent will only decide on election day.