To the editor:
Anyone who still believes the Conservatives are telling Canadians everything about the Wright-Duffy scandal only needs follow the votes to know what is really happening: a cover-up is still going-on.
We now know the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) attempted to interfere in an audit to protect Conservative Senator Mike Duffy, who was worried it would determine his primary residence was not Prince Edward Island.
Court documents reveal the PMO had Conservative Senator Irving Gerstein reach out to a senior contact at Deloitte, Michael Runia, about the audit. We do not know what Senator Gerstein said to Mr. Runia.
Afterwards, a PMO staffer wrote, “we should make arrangements for repayment KNOWING [emphasis added] that Deloitte will not say one way or another on his residency.”
Yet back in February, the PMO was worried the audit would come out against Senator Duffy. How did the PMO know the outcome of the audit a month before it came out?
To clear the air, we need to hear from Mr. Runia – especially since so far as we know the RCMP is not investigating the attempted interference. Yet when Liberal senators proposed a motion to have Mr. Runia testify, the Conservatives voted it down. Why?
An attempt was made to tamper with the audit paid for by more than half a million of taxpayers’ dollars. By blocking attempts to get to the truth, the Conservatives are protecting their friends and shamelessly continuing to cover-up what happened.
James S. Cowan Q.C.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate