As the Senate scandal continues to unfold, you can forgive Canadians if they are having a hard time figuring out who to be mad at, and why.
Take the case of Senator Mike Duffy and how this story has evolved since the first details emerged of how he was billing taxpayers for his expenses.
At first, the storyline was that Duffy had fudged his expenses, falsely claiming thousands of dollars in housing allowances. He said his cottage in Prince Edward Island was his principal residence and claimed per diem expenses when he wasn’t doing any Senate business.
Canadian’s outrage was clearly aimed at Duffy and his behaviour.
When we moved to Act II in this affair, the target of the outrage shifted.
We learned that Nigel Wright, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s then-chief of staff, concocted a deal to pay back Duffy’s housing claims…$90,000 worth. Then, it’s alleged, in return for paying back the money, the Senate would go easy on Duffy. Indeed, a report on Duffy’s expenses was altered, tough language removed, and we were told by the Conservative leader in the Senate that since Duffy paid the money back, everything was hunky dory and there was no need for any further punishment.
So at this point, public anger shifted, aimed now at the Conservatives. Their crime? Going easy on Duffy. Too lenient. Letting him off.
And now , with Senator Duffy’s impassioned speech in the Senate yesterday, the storyline is doing a 180. The headlines scream that Duffy claims he was the victim of a government conspiracy, he was bullied into paying back the money and effectively pleading guilty to defrauding taxpayers, that due process went out the window.
The narrative of the story suddenly changed, from the Conservatives being too lenient with Duffy, to the Conservatives being excessively harsh, unfair, railroading an innocent man to accept a deal he wanted no part of.
Now, it’s obvious Canadians are very angry about this mess. But the weird thing is, there are a number of storylines feeding this controversy, two of them at odds with each other.
So, take your pick. You’re angry because Duffy fudged his expense reports, leaving taxpayers out tens of thousands of dollars.
Or. you’re angry because the Tories were too lenient with Duffy, giving him a free pass once he paid back the $90,000.
Or, you’re angry because the prime minister and his staff treated Duffy unfairly, condemning him for crimes he says he didn’t commit, bullying the honourable Senator to pay up and then resign from caucus.
Add up the three storylines, and you can see why this scandal is so explosive. Everyone is throwing mud. The Conservatives are attacking Duffy. The opposition is attacking the Conservatives. Duffy is attacking the prime minister.
The only question is … who will the mud stick to? The answer, eventually, will be decided by the Canadian public.
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