Mike Duffy tried to influence CRTC decision on Sun Media

[unknown]

CTVNews.ca - Thursday, May 16, 2013

CTV News Channel: How serious is the scandal?

CTV political commentator Scott Reid says the scandal is right on the
doorstep of the PM and there will likely now be an investigation.


Mike Duffy tried to influence CRTC decision on Sun Media


A well-placed source told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife that
Duffy approached a Conservative insider with connections to the CRTC
three weeks ago to discuss Sun Media, which is asking the federal
regulator to grant its news channel “mandatory carriage,” or guaranteed
placement on basic cable and satellite packages.

The move would boost Sun News Network’s profile and revenues.

“You know people at the CRTC,” the insider quoted Duffy as saying. “This
is an important decision on Sun Media. They have to play with the team
and support Sun Media’s request.”

Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said Duffy’s comments were “tantamount to
saying: ‘Let’s go have a private little visit with a judge.’”

“That is direct political interference with a quasi-judicial tribunal,”
Goodale said.

If the CRTC approves Sun Media’s request, cable and satellite customers
across Canada will be paying to have its news channel as part of their
TV packages.

“Helping insider friends to get access to power -- this is just
unacceptable,” NDP MP Olivia Chow said.

Duffy, who quit the Conservative caucus Thursday night over a growing
scandal involving his expense claims, did not respond to CTV’s request
for comment.

He was secluded in his Prince Edward Island cottage -- the home he
improperly claimed as his primary residence, resulting in a $90,000 debt
to the Senate for repayment of wrongly claimed taxpayer-funded living
expenses.

Fife revealed this week that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of
staff, Nigel Wright, made a secret deal with Duffy to help him repay the
money.

Although Duffy denied Wright’s involvement and claimed in an email to
CTV News that he’d taken out a bank loan, the PMO confirmed that Wright
wrote a personal cheque for $90,000 to the senator.

Canada's ethics commissioner, Mary Dawson, has said that she will
investigate Wright's cheque to Duffy.

[Liberals are VERMIN]

Not good. He should have known the CRTC only grants licenses to left-
wing networks and channels.

[unknown]

Post by Liberals are VERMIN
Not good. He should have known the CRTC only grants licenses to left-
wing networks and channels.

He had our taxdollars to try bribing them.

Looks like the PMO is not through repaying still more money he cheated
out of us.

Now all we have to do is get Harper & Co to repay it all out of
Conservative funds.

[unknown]

He's obviously a made-in-the-Conservative-camp first class liar.
Watch this guy take 'stress leave' and continue to bilk taxpayers even
after he's long gone.
______________________________-

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/0516


OTTAWA—Embattled Senator Mike Duffy is out of the Conservative caucus
after a controversy surrounding his living expenses blew up in a
full-blown scandal for Stephen Harper’s government.

The once-treasured party fundraiser and bon vivant become a serious
political liability this week after word leaked that Harper’s chief of
staff, Nigel Wright, wrote a personal cheque for $90,000 to Duffy to
cover repayment of improperly claimed living expenses.

But the Prime Minister’s Office appears to have been blindsided by
Duffy’s claims that he had arranged his own loan with Royal Bank of
Canada to cover the repayment. <<=========


“There are a growing number of questions about Mr. Duffy’s conduct that
don’t have answers. Mr. Duffy will have to answer as an independent
senator,” a government official said Thursday night.

Duffy’s claim that he had secured a bank loan was a complete surprise to
senior government officials and appears to have sparked his departure
from the Conservative caucus.

Senator Marjory LeBreton, the government house leader in the Senate,
confirmed he was out of caucus.

“Senator Duffy has informed me that he has resigned from caucus to sit
as an independent senator,” LeBreton said in a statement.

Duffy said in a statement the controversy around his repayment had
become a “significant distraction to my caucus colleagues, and to the
government.”

“Given that my presence within the Conservative caucus only contributes
to that distraction, I have decided to step outside of the caucus and
sit as an independent senator pending resolution of these questions,”
Duffy said in a statement.

“Throughout this entire situation I have sought only to do the right
thing. I look forward to all relevant facts being made clear in due
course, at which point I am hopeful I will be able to rejoin the
Conservative caucus,” he said.

He said he intends to take time out of the spotlight as questions are
resolved through “appropriate processes.”

“This has been a difficult time for me and my family,” Duffy said.

Duffy was also facing questions whether he had claimed Senate expenses
while campaigning for the Conservatives during the 2011 federal election.

Duffy claimed to be on Senate business in Ottawa — even charging
taxpayers for some of his expenses — on days he was helping to boost the
electoral fortunes of several Conservative candidates.

Candidates in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, the
Maritimes, Quebec and southern Ontario all benefited from appearances —
from fundraisers and town halls to visiting a retirement home — by the
high-profile former broadcaster during the campaign.

Two such events — meet-and-greets with Conservative MP Scott Armstrong
in Truro and Amherst, N.S., on April 21 and with former cabinet minister
Lawrence Cannon in Shawville, Que., on April 29 — appear to have taken
place on days when Duffy claimed to be in Ottawa on Senate business.

Saying that he was in Ottawa enabled him to bill taxpayers for living
expenses — including meals, incidentals and covering part of his
mortgage — on those two days, a perk intended for senators whose primary
residences are more than 100 kilometres away from Parliament Hill.

The living allowance and his $132,300 annual salary were not the only
sources of compensation Duffy received, as Elections Canada records show
the Armstrong campaign also gave him $409 for expenses.

“I think the pattern here, for these Conservative-appointed senators, is
that they were put in place and then have been used as part of the
political war machine and then taxpayers have to foot the bill,” New
Democrat MP Charlie Angus said Thursday.

The discovery came after auditors from Deloitte tracked the movements of
Duffy day by day, consulting his detailed mobile phone invoices,
corporate credit card statements, financial travel calendar and other
records to figure out exactly how much time he spent at his declared
primary residence in Cavendish, P.E.I., during the period of review.

The examination led the Senate to conclude Duffy was never eligible for
the expenses , which he reimbursed in March with the help of a friend in
the PMO, but the calendar compiled by the auditors had the unintended
consequence of revealing where Duffy claimed to be during most of the
last federal election campaign, which ran from March 26 to May 2, 2011.

The summary of activities from Deloitte shows Duffy claimed to be in
Ottawa on Senate business — and submitting expense claims — for a total
of seven days in April 2011 while Parliament was dissolved and
candidates were campaigning.

The questions over campaign activities and the fact that Duffy refused
to co-operate with the auditors — eventually telling Deloitte through
his lawyer that his participation was no longer necessary because he had
paid the money back — has the opposition wondering if those two things
are connected.

That Duffy apparently repaid the $90,172 in improperly claimed living
expenses with the help of a personal cheque from Nigel Wright , the
chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, provided more fodder
for conspiracy theories.

“It certainly has the appearance of a payment that was designed to
prevent further examination and that, I think, would make Canadians very
uncomfortable,” Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said earlier Thursday, before
Duff left caucus.

“(It) does not pass the smell test.”

Duffy has contradicted claims Wright had anything do with repaying the
improperly claimed living expenses.


On Tuesday, Duffy emailed CTV News to say he got a loan from the Royal
Bank to help cover the expenses.

“I dealt with my bank personally. Nigel played no role,” Duffy told the
television network. << ========

The next day, the PMO said a personal cheque from Wright came as a gift
with no expectations of being paid back. << ==========

Andrew MacDougall, director of communication for Harper, told the Star
Thursday he stood by the statement.


Duffy did not respond to a request Thursday to explain the discrepancy.

There are six other days in April 2011 when Duffy claimed to be on
Senate business outside of Ottawa, again while Parliament was dissolved
and it remains unclear what official Senate business there was to do.

A search of newspaper and social media reports shows Duffy was
campaigning with Conservative candidates on four of those days he
claimed to be on Senate business outside Ottawa:

At Trent University with Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro on April 7.
Visiting the N.W.T. with Conservative candidate Sandy Lee on April 8
Campaigning with Conservative candidates Maureen Harquail, Gin Siow and
MP Wladyslaw Lizon in the Greater Toronto Area on April 28.
Speaking to the Kootenay-Columbia Conservative association on April 5,
The Canadian Press reported Thursday.

Elections Canada shows Duffy also received a total of $2,657 from 11
local Conservative campaigns to cover expenses associated with his
appearances on the 2011 campaign trail.

A spokeswoman for Duffy told the Ottawa Citizen in December 2011 that
the national campaign had covered his airfare, the local campaigns paid
for his accommodations and nothing had come from his Senate budget.

A senior Conservative party official said Thursday the party was unaware
Duffy had claimed Senate living expenses while engaging in partisan
activity.

[The Doctor]

Post by unknown
He's obviously a made-in-the-Conservative-camp first class liar.
Watch this guy take 'stress leave' and continue to bilk taxpayers even
after he's long gone.
______________________________-
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/0516
OTTAWA—Embattled Senator Mike Duffy is out of the Conservative caucus
after a controversy surrounding his living expenses blew up in a
full-blown scandal for Stephen Harper’s government.
The once-treasured party fundraiser and bon vivant become a serious
political liability this week after word leaked that Harper’s chief of
staff, Nigel Wright, wrote a personal cheque for $90,000 to Duffy to
cover repayment of improperly claimed living expenses.
But the Prime Minister’s Office appears to have been blindsided by
Duffy’s claims that he had arranged his own loan with Royal Bank of
Canada to cover the repayment. <<=========
“There are a growing number of questions about Mr. Duffy’s conduct that
don’t have answers. Mr. Duffy will have to answer as an independent
senator,” a government official said Thursday night.
Duffy’s claim that he had secured a bank loan was a complete surprise to
senior government officials and appears to have sparked his departure
from the Conservative caucus.
Senator Marjory LeBreton, the government house leader in the Senate,
confirmed he was out of caucus.
“Senator Duffy has informed me that he has resigned from caucus to sit
as an independent senator,” LeBreton said in a statement.
Duffy said in a statement the controversy around his repayment had
become a “significant distraction to my caucus colleagues, and to the
government.”
“Given that my presence within the Conservative caucus only contributes
to that distraction, I have decided to step outside of the caucus and
sit as an independent senator pending resolution of these questions,”
Duffy said in a statement.
“Throughout this entire situation I have sought only to do the right
thing. I look forward to all relevant facts being made clear in due
course, at which point I am hopeful I will be able to rejoin the
Conservative caucus,” he said.
He said he intends to take time out of the spotlight as questions are
resolved through “appropriate processes.”
“This has been a difficult time for me and my family,” Duffy said.
Duffy was also facing questions whether he had claimed Senate expenses
while campaigning for the Conservatives during the 2011 federal election.
Duffy claimed to be on Senate business in Ottawa — even charging
taxpayers for some of his expenses — on days he was helping to boost the
electoral fortunes of several Conservative candidates.
Candidates in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, the
Maritimes, Quebec and southern Ontario all benefited from appearances —
from fundraisers and town halls to visiting a retirement home — by the
high-profile former broadcaster during the campaign.
Two such events — meet-and-greets with Conservative MP Scott Armstrong
in Truro and Amherst, N.S., on April 21 and with former cabinet minister
Lawrence Cannon in Shawville, Que., on April 29 — appear to have taken
place on days when Duffy claimed to be in Ottawa on Senate business.
Saying that he was in Ottawa enabled him to bill taxpayers for living
expenses — including meals, incidentals and covering part of his
mortgage — on those two days, a perk intended for senators whose primary
residences are more than 100 kilometres away from Parliament Hill.
The living allowance and his $132,300 annual salary were not the only
sources of compensation Duffy received, as Elections Canada records show
the Armstrong campaign also gave him $409 for expenses.
“I think the pattern here, for these Conservative-appointed senators, is
that they were put in place and then have been used as part of the
political war machine and then taxpayers have to foot the bill,” New
Democrat MP Charlie Angus said Thursday.
The discovery came after auditors from Deloitte tracked the movements of
Duffy day by day, consulting his detailed mobile phone invoices,
corporate credit card statements, financial travel calendar and other
records to figure out exactly how much time he spent at his declared
primary residence in Cavendish, P.E.I., during the period of review.
The examination led the Senate to conclude Duffy was never eligible for
the expenses , which he reimbursed in March with the help of a friend in
the PMO, but the calendar compiled by the auditors had the unintended
consequence of revealing where Duffy claimed to be during most of the
last federal election campaign, which ran from March 26 to May 2, 2011.
The summary of activities from Deloitte shows Duffy claimed to be in
Ottawa on Senate business — and submitting expense claims — for a total
of seven days in April 2011 while Parliament was dissolved and
candidates were campaigning.
The questions over campaign activities and the fact that Duffy refused
to co-operate with the auditors — eventually telling Deloitte through
his lawyer that his participation was no longer necessary because he had
paid the money back — has the opposition wondering if those two things
are connected.
That Duffy apparently repaid the $90,172 in improperly claimed living
expenses with the help of a personal cheque from Nigel Wright , the
chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, provided more fodder
for conspiracy theories.
“It certainly has the appearance of a payment that was designed to
prevent further examination and that, I think, would make Canadians very
uncomfortable,” Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said earlier Thursday, before
Duff left caucus.
“(It) does not pass the smell test.”
Duffy has contradicted claims Wright had anything do with repaying the
improperly claimed living expenses.
On Tuesday, Duffy emailed CTV News to say he got a loan from the Royal
Bank to help cover the expenses.
“I dealt with my bank personally. Nigel played no role,” Duffy told the
television network. << ========
The next day, the PMO said a personal cheque from Wright came as a gift
with no expectations of being paid back. << ==========
Andrew MacDougall, director of communication for Harper, told the Star
Thursday he stood by the statement.
Duffy did not respond to a request Thursday to explain the discrepancy.
There are six other days in April 2011 when Duffy claimed to be on
Senate business outside of Ottawa, again while Parliament was dissolved
and it remains unclear what official Senate business there was to do.
A search of newspaper and social media reports shows Duffy was
campaigning with Conservative candidates on four of those days he
At Trent University with Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro on April 7.
Visiting the N.W.T. with Conservative candidate Sandy Lee on April 8
Campaigning with Conservative candidates Maureen Harquail, Gin Siow and
MP Wladyslaw Lizon in the Greater Toronto Area on April 28.
Speaking to the Kootenay-Columbia Conservative association on April 5,
The Canadian Press reported Thursday.
Elections Canada shows Duffy also received a total of $2,657 from 11
local Conservative campaigns to cover expenses associated with his
appearances on the 2011 campaign trail.
A spokeswoman for Duffy told the Ottawa Citizen in December 2011 that
the national campaign had covered his airfare, the local campaigns paid
for his accommodations and nothing had come from his Senate budget.
A senior Conservative party official said Thursday the party was unaware
Duffy had claimed Senate living expenses while engaging in partisan
activity.

Duffy is fries!

[The Doctor]

Post by unknown

Post by Liberals are VERMIN
Not good. He should have known the CRTC only grants licenses to left-
wing networks and channels.

He had our taxdollars to try bribing them.
Looks like the PMO is not through repaying still more money he cheated
out of us.
Now all we have to do is get Harper & Co to repay it all out of
Conservative funds.

And that was one of the Harper starts.

What is this about Pam Wallin?

[The Doctor]

Post by Liberals are VERMIN
Not good. He should have known the CRTC only grants licenses to left-
wing networks and channels.

Stinks to high heaven!

[David Johnston]

Post by Liberals are VERMIN
Not good. He should have known the CRTC only grants licenses to left-
wing networks and channels.

Sun Media already has a license.

[The Doctor]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------040700060405080201060105
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
CTVNews.ca - Thursday, May 16, 2013
CTV News Channel: How serious is the scandal?
CTV political commentator Scott Reid says the scandal is right on the
doorstep of the PM and there will likely now be an investigation.
Mike Duffy tried to influence CRTC decision on Sun Media
A well-placed source told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife that
Duffy approached a Conservative insider with connections to the CRTC
three weeks ago to discuss Sun Media, which is asking the federal
regulator to grant its news channel “mandatory carriage,” or guaranteed
placement on basic cable and satellite packages.
The move would boost Sun News Network’s profile and revenues.
“You know people at the CRTC,” the insider quoted Duffy as saying. “This
is an important decision on Sun Media. They have to play with the team
and support Sun Media’s request.”
Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said Duffy’s comments were “tantamount to
saying: ‘Let’s go have a private little visit with a judge.’”
“That is direct political interference with a quasi-judicial tribunal,”
Goodale said.
If the CRTC approves Sun Media’s request, cable and satellite customers
across Canada will be paying to have its news channel as part of their
TV packages.
“Helping insider friends to get access to power -- this is just
unacceptable,” NDP MP Olivia Chow said.
Duffy, who quit the Conservative caucus Thursday night over a growing
scandal involving his expense claims, did not respond to CTV’s request
for comment.
He was secluded in his Prince Edward Island cottage -- the home he
improperly claimed as his primary residence, resulting in a $90,000 debt
to the Senate for repayment of wrongly claimed taxpayer-funded living
expenses.
Fife revealed this week that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of
staff, Nigel Wright, made a secret deal with Duffy to help him repay the
money.
Although Duffy denied Wright’s involvement and claimed in an email to
CTV News that he’d taken out a bank loan, the PMO confirmed that Wright
wrote a personal cheque for $90,000 to the senator.
Canada's ethics commissioner, Mary Dawson, has said that she will
investigate Wright's cheque to Duffy.
--------------040700060405080201060105
Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFCC">
<font face="Franklin Gothic Medium"><font face="Franklin Gothic
Medium">CTVNews.ca - Thursday, May 16, 2013 <br>
<br>
</font>CTV News Channel: How serious is the scandal?<br>
 <br>
CTV political commentator Scott Reid says the scandal is right on
the doorstep of the PM and there will likely now be an
investigation.<br>
</font><br>
<br>
Mike Duffy tried to influence CRTC decision on Sun Media<br>
<br>
<font face="Franklin Gothic Medium"><br>
A well-placed source told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife
that Duffy approached a Conservative insider with connections to
the CRTC three weeks ago to discuss Sun Media, which is asking the
federal regulator to grant its news channel “mandatory carriage,”
or guaranteed placement on basic cable and satellite packages.<br>
<br>
The move would boost Sun News Network’s profile and revenues.<br>
<br>
“You know people at the CRTC,” the insider quoted Duffy as saying.
“This is an important decision on Sun Media. They have to play
with the team and support Sun Media’s request.”<br>
<br>
Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said Duffy’s comments were “tantamount to
saying: ‘Let’s go have a private little visit with a judge.’”<br>
<br>
“That is direct political interference with a quasi-judicial
tribunal,” Goodale said.<br>
<br>
If the CRTC approves Sun Media’s request, cable and satellite
customers across Canada will be paying to have its news channel as
part of their TV packages.<br>
<br>
“Helping insider friends to get access to power -- this is just
unacceptable,” NDP MP Olivia Chow said.<br>
<br>
Duffy, who quit the Conservative caucus Thursday night over a
growing scandal involving his expense claims, did not respond to
CTV’s request for comment.<br>
<br>
He was secluded in his Prince Edward Island cottage -- the home he
improperly claimed as his primary residence, resulting in a
$90,000 debt to the Senate for repayment of wrongly claimed
taxpayer-funded living expenses.<br>
<br>
Fife revealed this week that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief
of staff, Nigel Wright, made a secret deal with Duffy to help him
repay the money.<br>
<br>
Although Duffy denied Wright’s involvement and claimed in an email
to CTV News that he’d taken out a bank loan, the PMO confirmed
that Wright wrote a personal cheque for $90,000 to the senator.<br>
<br>
Canada's ethics commissioner, Mary Dawson, has said that she will
investigate Wright's cheque to Duffy.<br>
<br>
</font>
</body>
</html>
--------------040700060405080201060105--

Egg on Harper's face.

[Douglas]

Post by unknown
CTVNews.ca - Thursday, May 16, 2013
CTV News Channel: How serious is the scandal?
 
CTV political commentator Scott Reid says the scandal is right on
the doorstep of the PM and there will likely now be an
investigation.
Mike Duffy tried to influence CRTC decision on Sun Media
A well-placed source told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife
that Duffy approached a Conservative insider with connections to
the CRTC three weeks ago to discuss Sun Media, which is asking the
federal regulator to grant its news channel “mandatory carriage,”
or guaranteed placement on basic cable and satellite packages.
The move would boost Sun News Network’s profile and revenues.
“You know people at the CRTC,” the insider quoted Duffy as saying.
“This is an important decision on Sun Media. They have to play
with the team and support Sun Media’s request.”
Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said Duffy’s comments were “tantamount to
saying: ‘Let’s go have a private little visit with a judge.’”
“That is direct political interference with a quasi-judicial
tribunal,” Goodale said.
If the CRTC approves Sun Media’s request, cable and satellite
customers across Canada will be paying to have its news channel as
part of their TV packages.
“Helping insider friends to get access to power -- this is just
unacceptable,” NDP MP Olivia Chow said.
Duffy, who quit the Conservative caucus Thursday night over a
growing scandal involving his expense claims, did not respond to
CTV’s request for comment.
He was secluded in his Prince Edward Island cottage -- the home he
improperly claimed as his primary residence, resulting in a
$90,000 debt to the Senate for repayment of wrongly claimed
taxpayer-funded living expenses.
Fife revealed this week that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief
of staff, Nigel Wright, made a secret deal with Duffy to help him
repay the money.
Although Duffy denied Wright’s involvement and claimed in an email
to CTV News that he’d taken out a bank loan, the PMO confirmed
that Wright wrote a personal cheque for $90,000 to the senator.
Canada's ethics commissioner, Mary Dawson, has said that she will
investigate Wright's cheque to Duffy.