Lowlight #3: “Good to go”–Conservatives’ big lie of 2013

COUNTDOWN OF CONSERVATIVE FAILURES FOR 2013

Stephen Harper’s Conservatives had a very bad year. Plagued by an expense scandal and cover-up reaching right to the top of the prime minister’s office, Conservatives have shown they are a tired and out-of-gas government.

We are condensing a year’s worth of lowlights into a countdown of the top 15 examples of Conservative blunders, scandals and ineptitude.

LOWLIGHT #3
CONSERVATIVES’ BIG LIE OF 2013

“Good to go”

When the RCMP released documents related to their investigation into the Senate expense scandal and cover-up, it became very clear that Prime Minister Stephen Harper hadn’t been telling the truth to Canadians.

As the prime minister’s former Chief of Staff Nigel Wright was setting up the cover-up scheme to repay Senator Mike Duffy’s inappropriate expenses and try and make the political embarrassment go away, he wrote to the Senator:

“I do want to speak to the PM before everything is considered final…”

and then later added:

“We are good to go from the PM”.

Of course this contradicts Stephen Harper, who had been claiming for months on end that he knew nothing about this deal before May 15th.

This raised the question, one of many ably asked by NDP leader Tom Mulcair

“Good to go with what?” – Tom Mulcair, Hansard, November 20, 2013

The response:

“Good to go with Mr. Duffy repaying his own expenses, as he has acknowledged I told him to personally, as he told everybody he had done, including the Canadian public.” – Stephen Harper, House of Commons, November 20th, 2013

A stunning moment.

Stephen Harper wants Canadians to believe that his Chief of Staff, in addition to at least a dozen others in his party working on this cover up, didn’t tell him anything or ever seek approval for their actions … but then went to the prime minister to get his approval for Mike Duffy to repay his own expenses?

Let’s hope Stephen Harper finally decides to come clean in 2014. But more likely, Conservatives will only confess the truth when they are forced to in a court of law.

Canadians deserve much better.

While other leaders have been missing in action, Tom Mulcair has been showing up to work on behalf of Canadians – holding Stephen Harper accountable and putting forward practical solutions to help families make ends meet.