Harper denies approving call to Deloitte about Duffy

By Daniel Proussalidis ,Parliamentary Bureau

First posted: Friday, November 22, 2013 03:00 PM MST | Updated: Friday, November 22, 2013 05:21 PM MST 

  

 Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks at Fort Garry Fire Trucks after formally opening CentrePort Canada Way in Winnipeg, November 22, 2013. REUTERS/Trevor Hagan

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a blunt denial when asked Friday whether he or his office approved having Sen. Irving Gerstein call a friend at Deloitte to check into an audit of Sen. Mike Duffy’s expense claims.

“No,” Harper said Friday, before turning the focus back to Duffy and the prime minister’s former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, and the deal that saw Wright give Duffy the money to repay $90,000 in improper expense claims plus interest.

“There are two individuals who are under investigation for an improper payment that was not disclosed — Mr. Duffy and Mr. Wright, and that’s how it should be,” Harper said.

A PMO spokesman later tried to correct Harper’s denial, saying he was “only answering for himself” and not his office.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/22/harper-denies-approving-call-to-deloitte-about-duffy