Canada PoliticsFormer Mike Duffy staffer comes to his defence: report
Just when you thought Senator Mike Duffy didn't have any friends left in Ottawa, something incredible happens.
Somebody is actually coming to the defence of the much maligned Senator.
According to a story in the Ottawa Citizen, Duffy's former temporary administrative assistant says that she may be to blame for some of his inappropriate expense claims.
Diane Scharf, a veteran Parliament Hill staffer, worked for the Prince Edward Island senator from September 2011 to March 2012 when his regular assistant went on maternity leave.
She says she had trouble keeping track of Duffy’s whereabouts because he travelled often.
“Mike was so busy and so much in demand. ‘Go here, go there, do this, do that’ — it was hard to know if he was in Ottawa or PEI.”
She said she would fill out the forms in Duffy’s office and he would sign them later.
“If I made a mistake in filling out a form, I’m happy to own up to it,” Scharf said.
The Citizen notes that Scharf — who worked for two other Senators and a Liberal MP — went on to say that Senator Duffy was 'the hardest working politician she had served with on the Hill.'
The full article can be read here.
[ Related: Bank of Canada tries to kill the $90,000 ‘Duffybuck’ ]
Credit to Scharf for coming forward.
But Duffy had to sign those forms: Doesn't that make him culpable?
And before we forgive and forget let's remember that Duffy took over $90,000 in living allowances claiming that his primary residence was in PEI even though he only spent 30 per cent of his time there.
Let's also remember that Duffy has been coy and at times deceptive when talking to the media. Last week, for example, he said "Canadians deserve to know all of the facts" and he wanted to "give them answers"
But, when the Senate's internal economy committee met on Tuesday night — and took the very unusual step of openning up their meeting to the public — Duffy was a no-show.
The committee found some more improprieties. Interestingly enough, some of those were outside the period that Scharf was working for Duffy.
Here are just a couple of them as explained by the Canadian Press:
— Duffy claimed and was paid for Ottawa living expenses during the federal election campaign on six days in April 2011 and one day in May 2011. Elections Canada documents show Duffy was not in Ottawa, but campaigning in Western Canada, the Toronto area and in Atlantic Canada with Conservative candidates.
— In August 2011, Duffy claimed 18 days of Ottawa living expenses when he appeared to be in Charlottetown. Senate administrators turned down that request.
That same CP report notes that "Duffy never met with auditors from the firm Deloitte, and failed to produce several pieces of documentation they requested."
[ Related: Duffy expense claims referred to RCMP by Senate committee ]
Yes, it's good to know that Duffy has at least one ally left in Scharf: We all need friends, right?
But the senator still has a lot of explaining to do.
(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)
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