Off with their heads

IT WAS clear what Canada's Conservative government was up to when its leader in the Senate moved on October 17th to suspend three former Conservative senators for “gross negligence”. The scandal, which involved fiddling of expenses, had been embarrassing the government for close to a year. For one thing, the three senators had been hand-picked by Stephen Harper, the prime minister (pictured). Then, Mr Harper's chief of staff had become embroiled and was forced to quit. Getting rid of the senators before the party convention at the end of October became a priority. This would draw a line under the affair and show core supporters that the prime minister still stood for accountability and transparency.

There were problems, however, with the plan’s execution. Senators Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau, who are accused but not charged with claiming travel and housing expenses they were not entitled to, were not cowed. Instead, they mounted a spirited defence. This included, in the case of Mr Duffy, revealing even more details embarrassing to the government.

The opposition New Democrats and Liberals in the lower house gleefully used this new ammunition to renew their attacks on Mr Harper. What was meant to be a quick motion and vote in the Senate turned into a marathon debate. Liberal senators, backed by several high-profile Conservative colleagues, complained that the chamber supposed to provide Canadians with “sober second thought” was in a politically motivated rush to pass judgment. The proper course, they argued, would be to give the accused a fair hearing, hold an inquiry or wait for ongoing police investigations to end.

It only after the party convention was over before the Conservative majority finally succeeded in winning the vote on November 5th. The three senators are suspended without pay until the end of the current parliamentary session, which could last until the next election in 2015. For the government it was a Pyrrhic victory.

The kerfuffle overshadowed the announcement of a trade deal between Canada and the European Union, which should have been a feather in the cap of a prime minister who says jobs and the economy are his priorities. Mr Harper’s personal credibility was damaged by his attempts to distance himself from the senators he had named and from his former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, who had paid C$90,000 ($86,000) to settle Mr Duffy’s disputed expenses. One poll showed that only 11% of Canadians thought he was telling the truth about what he knew and when he knew it.

More important, perhaps, the affair has exposed fissures in the Conservative party. Since a merger in 2003 of three right-of-centre parties it has presented an impressively united front. Uniting the right was Mr Harper’s signature achievement. It allowed his party to triumph over the divided opposition in three consecutive elections. It was thus unusual to see Conservative senators in open revolt against the government. Just as remarkable, several cabinet ministers publicly supported Mr Wright after the prime minister had accused him of deception.

The Senate scandal will rumble on. The police investigations into the three senators and Mr Wright may yet lead to charges. The three could sue for wrongful dismissal. Then there are the outside audits of the three senators, which news reports say cost about C$500,000, more than double the total amount the three are accused of illegitimately claiming, giving more fodder to the opposition. Mr Harper has a well-earned reputation as a shrewd political strategist. His handling of the imbroglio proves there is an exception to every rule.

Original Article
Source: economist.com
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