Overheard this week: “No one has trouble imagining Mulcair as prime minister”

This week, the Mike Duffy trial exposed Stephen Harper’s central role in the ongoing Senate scandal:

“At the centre of the Mike Duffy trial is a problem Stephen Harper desperately wants to avoid: The prime minister should never have chosen him … Duffy did not meet the primary constitutional qualification for a Canadian senator — that he be ‘resident in the province for which he is appointed.’” — Thomas Walkom, Toronto Star April 8, 2015

Meanwhile, a growing number of political watchers see Tom Mulcair as the only leader with the skills and experience to replace Stephen Harper:

“No one has trouble imagining Mulcair as prime minister. Mulcair has been a government minister in Quebec. In the House of Commons he projects strength, wit, intelligence and resilience. He is very much the grown-up some people wonder whether Trudeau even aspires to be.” — Paul Adams, iPolitics April 8, 2015 “Mr. Mulcair seems to demonstrate his capacity and his preparedness just about every time he speaks.” — Gerald Caplan, The Globe and Mail, April 10, 2015 “Canada has only one political leader tough enough and smart enough to defeat Harper in the next election: His name is Thomas Mulcair.” — Gerry Nicholls, conservative commentator, blog post, April 9, 2015