Polls Says Canadians Don’t Trust Harper’s Senate Scandal Claims!
OTTAWA –Prime Minister Harper and his Conservative brand is being inflicted with heavy damaged by the ongoing Senate scandal and a new poll says 9 out of 10 Canadians don’t believe Harper when he says he didn’t know his chief of staff wrote a $90,000 cheque to Senator Mike Duffy.
The secret bailout deal was intended to help Duffy repay housing expenses he improperly took from taxpayers, and since the news broke, the prime minister has denied previous knowledge of it.
Harper maintains he didn’t hear about the secret deal until May 15, the day after the news broke.
According to Ipsos Reid, only 13 per cent of Canadians actually think that Harper is telling the truth, while 44 per cent aren’t really sure and 42 per cent are convinced he knew about the deal the whole time, reported News 1130.
“There’s blood in the water; this is a very serious circumstance,” says Darrell Bricker with Ipsos Reid. “It’s not something that’s going to be going away anytime soon, and the government has to come up with better answers.”
On top of the skepticism about Harper’s explanations, it’s clear Canadians want to see an independent body investigate the scandal.
Three quarters of us think this scandal needs to be investigated by the RCMP or a judicial inquiry. Only six per cent think the Senate can handle it on its own.
The Liberals stepped up pressure on Harper, saying he must ensure there is no political interference in the release of all records concerning the Senate expenses audit and the agreement between Senator Duffy and the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff to have his ineligible expenses covered.
“The Prime Minister could have been proactive and up front with Canadians in releasing all information on this matter which is clearly an issue of public interest,” said Liberal Deputy Leader Ralph Goodale. “If he can’t do that, he must at least guarantee there will be no political interference in the lawful release of this information according to Canada’s existing statutes.”
Goodale released copies of Access to Information requests that he has submitted to the Privy Council Office (PCO) and the Department of Justice for all records in their custody related to the PMO ethics scandal.
“It is simply inconceivable, that once the PCO and the Department of Justice learned that this unethical and potentially illegal transaction took place on behalf of the Prime Minister and involving his highest official, they would not have taken steps to immediately secure copies of all of the documentation,” said Goodale. “These documents must be preserved and made public according to provisions of the Access to Information Act. There must be no political interference with the release of this information, something that sadly we have seen time and time again with this government.”
Goodale noted that it is unlawful for anyone to destroy or remove documents from the Prime Minister’s Office, if they relate to a government matter or the abuse of taxpayer’s money, as is the case with the current scandal.
