Stephen Harper could have avoided Mike Duffy woes by obeying the law

Stephen Harper could have avoided Mike Duffy woes by obeying the law by Thomas Walkom, October 22, 2013, The Toronto Star
Poor Stephen Harper. If the prime minister had only followed the law, his life would be so much simpler. The law in question is the Constitution Act of 1867. Specifically, it is that portion of the act that requires a senator to be “resident in the province for which he is appointed.” If Harper had bothered to follow the law in 2009, he never would have appointed Mike Duffy to represent Prince Edward Island in the Senate — for the simple reason that the television journalist didn’t, under any stretch of the imagination, live in that province. Duffy lived — and still lives — in Ottawa, Ontario.
If, back in 2009, Harper had felt Duffy’s presence in Parliament was crucial to the running of the country, he could have awarded him an Ontario Senate seat. At least four came open that year. And if that had happened — if Duffy’s appointment had been legal and proper from the start — the senator and prime minister would almost certainly not now find themselves embroiled in a housing expense scandal that threatens the very credibility of the Conservative government.

But Harper has been disturbingly blasé about legality. Duffy was the most egregious example. But there are others. … In the Commons, Harper chose not to admit that he has had any regrets. [Emphasis added]

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