Canada PM’s top aide quits amid scandal

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harperâ„¢s chief of staff has resigned amid an expenses scandal buffeting the government.

Nigel Wright announced his resignation on Sunday after it was revealed on May 14 that he had secretly given a check of 90,000 Canadian dollars (about $87,000) to conservative Senator Mike Duffy, who resigned from the conservative caucus on May 16.

The managing director of a major Canadian private equity firm, Wright issued a statement saying he had decided to quit Å“in light of the controversy surrounding my handling of matters involving Senator Duffy.”

Wright gave the money to help Duffy repay housing expenses, which the senator had improperly claimed.

Duffy, a former journalist, received less from the conservative caucus after reports showed that he had claimed daily expenses from the Senate while campaigning for the conservatives in 2011 federal election.

The conservative Canadian premier accepted the resignation of his top aide Wright Å“with great regret.”

Liberal Party Deputy Leader Ralph Goodale said, Å“This stinks from beginning to end. The prime ministerâ„¢s willful blindness is a travesty. All threads lead to him and only he can provide full accountability.”

Opposition lawmakers have scorned Harper administrationâ„¢s constant vow to increase accountability in Ottawa after a number of scandals brought down the previous Liberal government.

According to Charlie Angus, a parliamentarian for the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), the conservatives are in Å“full-out political panic” as the expenses scandal is one of the biggest crises to hit Harperâ„¢s government since he came into power in January 2006.

In addition to the resignations of Wright and Duffy, a third conservative senator, Pamela Wallin, quit from the caucus on May 17 as she awaits the outcome of an audit into her own travel expenses.

Opinion polls show that the conservatives in Canada are lagging behind the liberals.

CAH/HSN